Four Swords: Shadowed Truth
by Nira Rose
Summary: A year after the four became one again, Hyrule is once again in danger... Link leaves for the Sanctuary to reclaim his destiny, but disappears along with the Four Sword... The fifth "Link" is needed once again... Better description within.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**A/N:** Hee hee! This is my second fanfic! I'm working on them both at the same time, actually! This story takes place after the events of the Four Swords + manga. It's slightly AU because of the fact that the Triforce is going to be playing a big part in the story, even though it doesn't show up in Four Swords. Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda, Nintendo does! I do own my plot and any OCs I may make later in the story, though! I don't do lemons, but I'm fine with fluff and hint-hinting, so here are the current pairings! Green X Zelda, Red X Blue, Shadow X Vio. ...I know they're way too predictable... Sorry... ^_^; Anyway, enjoy the story! *waves cheerfully* Oh yeah, ideas for a title are very welcome, because I'm stumped! Lots of credit and thanks to whoever helps me out!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? he might end up with a special shield...

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Prologue

The four Links have returned to the Four Sword Sanctuary to become one once more, accompanied by Princess Zelda. Before they do it, Vio pulls Zelda aside to talk to her in private for a moment.

"(Zelda) What is it, Li- err, Vio?"

"(Vio) ...I have a request. Please keep this safe..."

Vio pulls a small bottle out of his pocket and holds it out for her to see...

"(Zelda) ...! That's...!"

Vio nods.

"(Vio) The sparks of light that Shadow became... I gathered as many of them as I could and kept them safe in this bottle. I want you to have it, since I won't exactly be around to protect it... Please, could you take care of it for me?"

_'Shadow... I won't let you die... I kept your sparks safe with me, but I'll be going back inside "Link" soon... I hope we meet again... I miss you, and I'm going to miss these three, too... Even though you weren't on our side for long, you're still one of us...'_

Vio is looking away from Zelda, towards the pedestal where the Four Sword is normally enshrined, where Red, Blue and Green are waiting. Zelda has an expression of sympathy and understanding on her face... She gently takes the bottle from Vio, and he looks back at her, seeming to be a little startled.

"(Zelda) You were afraid I was going to say no, weren't you? Don't worry, I'll keep these very safe for you. He is one of the "Links," too, after all! *smile*"

"(Vio) ...Thanks."

Blue yells something about how Vio's taking his sweet time and to hurry up already before Red starts crying again, so Vio runs off, back to the others to put the Four Sword back in its resting place...

_'Shadow Link... You thought you were alone, but that isn't true. You are one of the heroes as well... I have a feeling I'll be seeing you and these four again... And when I do, a new story shall begin... I hope it will have a happy ending, for you too this time...'_

_~About one year and five months later...~_

"(Link) You never learn, do you, Jago! Come on Dad, it's the pirates again!"

"(Jago) Same for you, Left-handed Hero! I'll win some day!"

Link is fighting the pirate band... Again! He easily defeats Jago, who actually seemed to have fought just for the fun of it... Jago brushes himself off and gets up. By this time the rest of the royal guard has arrived, of course, along with the General, Link's father.

"(Jago) Glad to see you're not getting rusty, boy! Since you beat me, I guess I'll tell you something important! To tell you the truth, me and my pirate band came here this time around to spread the bad news... There've been monster sightings gradually increasing off the coast and around the outskirts of Hyrule... And there've been sightings of strange dark clouds covering the sky..."

Link stares at Jago in shock. The same goes for every non-pirate in the area.

"(Link) What?!"

_~A little later that day, back at Hyrule Castle...~_

"(Zelda) Link, you mustn't! At least don't go alone!"

Link and Zelda are in her private chambers. He has his 'hero's clothes' on, and his boomerang is hanging from his belt...

"(Link) Heh... Call me Green, not Link! It's time for me to see them again... Those guys... We have to stop this darkness before anything gets any worse!"

"(Zelda) But Link, it's dangerous! At least wait for a group of guards to come with you! Please!"

"(Link) It's Green, not "Link!" Quit acting like they never existed!!! Anyway, it'll be faster on my own!"

Link starts to run out of the room.

"(Zelda) W-wait!!"

He looks over his shoulder, about to go out the door.

"(Link) Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it!"

Link heads off to the Four Sword Sanctuary to become Green once again... Left alone in her bedroom, Princess Zelda goes to the wall above her bed and opens a hidden compartment... She takes the small, tightly sealed bottle that rests inside the compartment in her hand and looks at it. Tiny sparks of light swirl and flicker inside the bottle...

"(Zelda) I have a really bad feeling about this... Even Shadow Link's sparks look agitated, as if something is upsetting them... I've never seen them move this fast or violently... *sigh...* You four had better come back..."

She puts the bottle back in its hiding place and closes the compartment...

_~About three weeks after Link's departure from Hyrule Castle...~_

Zelda is in her room, staring out the window at the sky... The General waits behind her...

_'It's been three weeks... Why hasn't he, haven't __**they**__ returned? Something isn't right...!'_

"(Zelda) General."

"(General) Yes, Princess Zelda?"

"(Zelda) Assemble a small guard. We're going to the Sanctuary."

_~Later, at the Four Sword Sanctuary...~_

Two guards work together to push the doors of the shrine fully open, then Zelda walks inside alone, refusing to let any guards follow her.

"(Zelda) ...!"

Inside the Sanctuary, there is no sign of the Four Sword or of the Links... The Triforce of Courage that should be in Link's hand is floating above the altar as if it has been waiting for Zelda to come...

_'That's...! But how is this even possible?! The Triforce of Courage has left Link?!! But why?! What happened here?! What happened to Link?!'_

Zelda closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down so she can think clearly...

_'...I have to calm down... There must be something I can do...'_

Zelda walks over to the floating triangle and it goes into her hand, though she gets the feeling that it isn't going to stay there permanently... After all, Princess Zelda is the chosen wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom, not the Triforce of Courage... She feels a faint tug in her hand, and follows it, going over to a certain spot on the ground where a flagstone looks a tiny bit different from the others, but enough to be suspicious... Upon moving it aside, she finds a small compartment with an extremely old-looking book written entirely in ancient Hylian inside... She takes a look, opening to a random page, and is very startled...

_'__**Five**__ Sword...?! What is this book...?! The sword enshrined here is the __**Four **__Sword! Or, perhaps the legends were changed for some reason...?! And look, here's a page about the Triforce...! ...Hmm...? Something about a shadow, and a curse...? Is this book telling of some ancient prophecy... That is coming true now...?!'_

She looks toward the empty altar once more, and remembers the last time she was here, and the bottle hidden in her bedchamber suddenly comes to mind...

_"(Vio) The sparks of light that Shadow became... I gathered as many of them as I could and kept them safe in this bottle. I want you to have it, since I won't exactly be around to protect it... Please, could you take care of it for me?"_

"(Zelda) Not four, but _five_..."

Zelda and the guards return to Hyrule Castle... Once there, she orders repairs begun on the Dark Mirror, and for modifications to be made on it so that only she can activate it. She then retires to her chambers with the mysterious book, studying the pages that have to do with a shadow and a curse, and with the Triforce of Courage... Later that night, she closes the book, having found out what she needed to know. She again opens the secret compartment and takes out the bottle that holds Shadow's spirit... She carries it out with her to the balcony... It's a clear night, and stars fill the sky. The moon is out and full, and silver moonlight bathes the balcony. She looks at the bottle and whispers this:

"(Zelda) Shadow Link... Hyrule needs you... _They_ need you... You're the only one who can help them, I can feel it..."

When she says this, the sparks in the bottle seem to shine brighter for a moment, but she shakes it off, thinking that her eyes must be playing tricks on her...

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading and please review! No flames, please...? *puppy dog eyes* Guesses on what's going to happen next and constructive criticism is always welcome! I hope you enjoyed the prologue! *waves goodbye* See you later!


	2. Chapter 1: Reawakening

**A/N:** Woohoo, it's time for the story to truly begin! This chapter may have ended up with quite a bit of unintentional Zelda X Shadow, but the story's main pairings are Red X Blue, Vio X Shadow, and Zelda X Green, just as a reminder! By the way, I'm pretty sure that Zelda is right-handed and therefore has the Triforce of Wisdom in that hand, and Link is left-handed, so has the Triforce of courage in that hand... Thank you, Wikipedia... Oh, since I forgot to mention it before, I got the idea for the Five Sword from **LittlePidgey**'s Four Swords + trilogy... Sorry about copying!! Your story is just so good I couldn't help picking up a few ideas from it, is all... Anyways, please read, review, and enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda, Nintendo does! I do own my plot and any OCs I may make later in the story, though! I'm still stumped as to the story's title, so please help me out if you have any ideas! All right, here we go! Enjoy the story!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? he might end up with a special shield...

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Chapter 1: Reawakening

A month has passed since Princess Zelda ordered repairs begun on the Dark Mirror, and it has finally been restored... However, it isn't anywhere near as powerful as it originally was, and as a result can only generate a limited amount of Dark Power, which has been determined to be just barely enough to support Shadow Link's existence if he remains in direct contact with its surface or frame... The Mirror's repairs are completed during the evening, and Zelda orders it brought to the Four Sword Sanctuary and left there. Before sunrise the next day, Princess Zelda sneaks out of the castle and heads to the Sanctuary, arriving there at dawn. The Dark Mirror has been placed behind the altar, as ordered, and is currently covered by a tarp... Zelda approaches the Mirror and pulls off the cloth covering it, spreading the tarp evenly on the floor in front of it... The skull decoration that used to be at the top of the mirror frame is gone, replaced by the Triforce symbol, and the other designs along the frame have been replaced with ancient Hylian characters...

_'All right, this is it... There's no turning back now. I must hurry and begin, before my absence is noticed at the castle. I want this to be a private thing... I owe him this much at least, to spare him from having to deal with the glares of a troop of suspicious guards watching his every move when he'll most likely be barely even alive once I manage to revive him... If I can even do it... No, I can't think like that! This _will_ work, it _has_ to!'_

"(Zelda) All right, here goes nothing..."

She takes a deep breath, steadying herself, and places her right hand on the Triforce symbol at the frame's apex (the top of the mirror frame).

"(Zelda) Dark Mirror, grant your strength to the one I seek! Return him to this land of Hyrule from where he sleeps within your dark depths! Come forth, Shadow Link!"

Ripples begin to spread out across the surface of the Mirror from its center as Zelda takes a step back from it, and something begins to appear slowly within its depths... Several minutes pass as a humanoid figure gradually takes shape within the Mirror... Princess Zelda looks very nervous... The slow rate at which the Dark Mirror is working to bring forth the body of the fifth "Link" seems to be worrying her greatly, having seen Shadow Link be reborn from the Mirror once before, and knowing that at that time it took much less than five minutes for him to emerge... Of course, this occured before the Dark Mirror was broken, when it had its full ability to generate Dark power, and could supply an unlimited amount of it...

_'This must be caused by the Mirror's vastly reduced strength, I'm sure of it! Please, let that be the only reason this is taking so long... Please...'_

The surface of the Mirror begins to bulge outward, and the indistinct features of the figure within have sharpened into the sillhouette of a young boy with pointed ears... He begins to fall forwards, emerging from the surface of the Dark Mirror...

_'...! Falling like that, he'll break contact with the Mirror! From what I read in that ancient book, I know that I only have one chance at this! If he isn't brought back completely now that the process has begun, he will completely cease to exist! I must not fail, for all five of their sakes!'_

Zelda steps forward and catches the falling boy in her arms just in time, laying him down on the tarp with his head resting against the mirror frame while being careful to make sure that a part of his body is in contact with the frame or glass at all times as she does so... She takes a moment to look at him. He is wearing a dark, smoke gray tunic identical in everything but its color scheme to those of the other "Links," with the only clothing style difference being that his hat basically defies gravity, curling into a counterclockwise spiral at the end instead of simply hanging down like it would if it followed the laws of physics, which it obviously doesn't, and a long sleeved white undershirt and white leggings, as well as a brown belt with a circular golden buckle with a spiral motif and plain dark gray boots that are just about the same color as his tunic. The boy has pale, pale skin and his hair is a deep purple color... He is, without a doubt, Shadow Link. His eyes are closed, and he isn't breathing, nor does he have any sign of a heartbeat. Though his body is indeed here, that is all it is at the moment, a body... Just an empty shell...

"(Zelda) *sighs in relief* So far, so good..."

Zelda reaches into her pocket and brings out the bottle entrusted to her by Vio, that contains Shadow Link's spirit... She kneels next to his limp form and pulls out the stopper, pouring the shimmering sparks into her hand. Zelda sets the bottle on the floor where it will be out of the way and cups her hands, which are now filled with a weak, shimmering glow...

"(Zelda) Shadow Link... Please hear my voice... It's time for you to come back... Red, Green, Blue, Vio... You're the only one who can save them! Please, open your eyes!"

(**A/N:** Just to be clear, these aren't Princess Zelda's thoughts, they're Shadow's.) _'...!'_

***Ba-bump!***

The sparks held within Zelda's hands blaze brightly in response to her words, and merge together to become a shimmering sphere of light that looks quite a bit like a fairy. She releases it, and it gently floats down to the boy's chest, disappearing into his body... Suddenly, he weakly sucks in a breath and lets it out, his entire body shuddering violently as he does so. He moans, and his red, flame-colored eyes slowly flicker open and meet Zelda's serene blue ones as he begins to come to...

"(Shadow) ...unnnh... Wha...? ...! This is... _Hyrule...!_ I'm... alive...?! ...The princess... You... brought me... back...? Why...?"

"(Zelda) Welcome back, Shadow Link. Don't worry, I'll explain everything soon, once you've rested a bit. Just don't move too much, all right? The Dark Mirror was rebuilt, but it doesn't have enough power to support you if you aren't touching it, you see."

"(Shadow) ...Just... Shadow..."

"(Zelda) What?"

"(Shadow) ...Don't... call me... 'Shadow Link'... Just plain... 'Shadow'... is fine... with me... ...After all... Red... is called... 'Red'... not 'Red Link'... Green... isn't called... 'Green Link'... And... so on..."

"(Zelda) Oh, now I understand. All right then, Shadow. But for now, you should just take it easy and rest, all right?"

"(Shadow) ...Right... I'll... do that..."

_'Vio... It was you, wasn't it...? I remember... Someone kept me from disappearing back when I turned into light... That was you, Vio, I'm sure of it... And then... You must have given what was left of me to Zelda for her to keep safe... ...But, why did she bring me back...? ...Wait... When I was like that... Something... I felt that something was wrong... ...I heard... Voices... crying out for help... ...Red... Green... Blue... And you, Vio... ...Your voices... ...They called me back... ...How long have I... been gone...? And, what is happening in Hyrule, for me to be brought back, and by Zelda and not you, Vio...? ...Your voices... Crying out for help... What has happened...? Where are you, Vio...?! ...ugh... All this stuff... It's way too much to think about at once like this... It's making me dizzy... ...I'm so tired... She's right... For now... I just need to rest...'_

Shadow closes his eyes and falls into a deep, healing sleep. His soft, even breaths can be clearly heard in the peaceful silence of the Sanctuary. Zelda gets to her feet and takes the ancient book out of her pocket, going over to sit on a nearby fallen column to read and pass the time until he wakes up.

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading and please review! No flames, please...? *puppy dog eyes* Guesses on what's going to happen next and constructive criticism is always welcome! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! *waves goodbye* See you later, I hope!


	3. Chapter 2: Triforce of Courage

**A/N:** Welcome to Chapter Two, everybody! This story finally has a title! *does a little victory dance* Much thanks to **Dea Letum** and **i-wish-a7x** for all their help, and I hope I can help you two out as well! And thanks as usual to **LittlePidgey**, for the trilogy that gave me a lot of inspiration for this story! Okay, my main pairings are Red X Blue, Vio X Shadow, and Zelda X Green, but they may change if anyone really wants it, or if I get any weird ideas! And I don't really do lemons, though there'll be fluff and maybe some hinting! Disclaimer: If I owned the Legend of Zelda or even just Four Swords +, Shadow wouldn't have died and Vaati/Gufuu would've had his human form instead of the creepy floating eyeball thing in the manga, neither of which happened, meaning I obviously don't own! I do own my plot and any OCs I may make later in the story, though!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? He also has the Dark Mirror Shield as of this chapter.

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Chapter 2: Triforce of Courage

The door of the Sanctuary creaks softly as it is slowly opened from the outside. Zelda looks up from her reading and quietly greets the person coming through the entrance.

"(Zelda) Good morning, General. I see my absence was noticed, then. ...I must ask you to please keep your voice lowered, so as not to wake him..."

"(General) Worry not, I sent the others on a wild goose chase across Hyrule. The exercise will be good for them. I had a feeling you would be here, Princess. ...Wait, wake who...?"

Zelda laughs softly at the General's comment about giving the knights some exercise, as the General comes closer and sees the sleeping Shadow...

"(General) ...! Princess, is that not the monster who made a ruin of Hyrule Town and tricked me into believing that my son, Link, was dead?! Why in the Goddesses' names is he here?! And how?!"

The General immediately draws his sword, keeping his voice lowered in respect for this sacred place even though he is obviously very upset...

"(Zelda) ..."It's Green, not "Link."" That's what your son told me when I saw him last... *sigh...* Stand down, General. I am the one who brought Shadow back, and I assure you, he is not an evil being, nor is he a monster. You can easily see this just by looking at him, if you simply do not judge him while doing so."

The General looks startled, then looks closely at Shadow for the first time, seeing a pale, sick-looking boy sleeping peacefully on a tarp with his head resting against the frame of the Dark Mirror, but nothing else...

"(General) ...If I didn't know better, I'd think he was just an ordinary Hylian..."

The General sighs and slowly sheathes his blade, walking over to stand near the fallen pillar that Zelda is sitting on.

"(General) You think he can find them, don't you? And that is why you revived him. But even I know that the Mirror doesn't have enough power to keep him alive if he isn't touching it, Princess..."

Shadow stirs, and begins to wake up...

_'So it wasn't some kind of dream or something after all... I really am alive, and back in Hyrule...'_

"(Zelda) Did you sleep well?"

"(Shadow) ...Yes... *notices the General* ...I see someone... came looking... for you... Will you... finally... tell me... what has happened... while I was... 'asleep'... now...?"

Zelda explains what has been ocurring in Hyrule over the past year and a little over a half, with the General standing quietly, listening to her speak, his face unreadable...

"(Shadow) ...Disappeared...? But they...! Each of them... is so strong...! How could they... just... _disappear_ like that...?!"

"(Zelda) I don't know, Shadow, and for that I am sorry. But that isn't the most shocking part... General, you do remember that I entered the Sanctuary alone when we came here to investigate, correct? I must ask you not to tell anyone about this, for I don't wish for anyone to panic or be upset."

Zelda is staring at her right hand, where the Triforce of Wisdom resides. The Triforce of Courage is temporarily residing there as well...

"(General) Forgive me Princess, I do not understand. What did you witness here that day, that you would tell no one a single detail about? You had that book with you when we returned to the castle that day, as well."

"(Shadow) ...They... left something behind... didn't they...? ...Something... has been... pulling at me... ever since I... first woke up... A strong energy... It feels so... familiar to me... but I don't... know why... What is it...?"

"(Zelda) ...I knew it. Not four, but _five_... Shadow, you _aren't_ a magically created being born from the Dark Mirror, and this proves it. You're a Hylian, and the fifth wielder of both the Five Sword and the Triforce of Courage."

Shadow and the General are staring wide-eyed at Zelda, their shocked and confused facial expressions comically identical.

"(General) ...**Five **Sword? ...Am I guessing correctly if I say that that book has something to do with that statement?"

"(Zelda) Yes... And this is what those four left behind..."

Zelda holds up her right hand with her palm facing towards her, clearly showing the, not one, but TWO glowing triangles on her hand in the set of three that make up the entire Triforce... The one on the left (Wisdom) and the one on the right (Courage)...

"(Shadow) ...! The... Triforce of... Courage...?! That is... what has been... pulling at me...?! ...But... why doesn't... Green have it...?!"

_'Why is it trying to choose ME of all people?! And how can I possibly be a Hylian?!! I am a shadow, nothing more!! A creature of darkness, fated to forever remain there!! ...But, if that is true, then what is this feeling that began to stir within me when she said I was a Hylian...?! Argh, I don't get it!! Why does everything the princess says and does always have to be so damn CONFUSING?! Is it one of the qualifications for being the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom or something?!'_

"(General) ...I think I understand... This boy is under a curse, is he not?"

"(Zelda) Yes... Shadow, you truly are a Hylian, and I do not know why the Triforce of Courage left Green. However, I do know that if it accepts you as one of its bearers, that you will be able to live within the light without fear. However--"

"(Shadow) *bored tone* Let me guess... If it rejects me... I get turned into... a mindless beast... Right...?"

"(Zelda) Well, yes! How did you know?"

Shadow rolls his eyes as the General desperately tries to hold back his laughter at this exchange...

"(Shadow) That _does_... tend to be how... such things work... you know... I don't need the... Triforce of Wisdom... to figure _that_ one... out...!"

Shadow and the General both start laughing a little, while Zelda looks confused...

'_What? What's so funny? Was it really that obvious?'_

A few minutes pass as the two try to get their laughter under control, and finally succeed.

"(General) *turns to face Shadow* Well, what will you do? Are you going to take that chance?"

"(Shadow) ...Heheh... Are you actually... _worried_... about me...? I'm not Green... you know..."

"(General) That's no reason for me to pretend you don't exist. It's a father's job to worry about his children... And the friends of his children. That is what you are, is it not? His friend?"

"(Shadow) ...Yes... I guess so..."

"(Zelda) So you will do it then, Shadow? I know you can find the others... I can feel it!"

"(Shadow) ...I will... I want to... see them again... Do it... Put it in my hand..."

"(Zelda) ...Very well."

Zelda kneels down next to Shadow and places her right hand over his left... His eyes widen as he feels the Triforce of Courage begin to transfer itself from her to him, and when it finishes, he suddenly screams in pain and loses consciousness as streams of golden light shoot out across his body from his hand... Zelda falls backward onto her butt in surprise, and the General also jumps, startled...

"(Shadow) Wh-what?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!"

"(Zelda) G-goddesses!! What a strong energy!"

Zelda is staring wide-eyed at the unconscious Shadow... His body cannot be made out at all within the bright golden light that has engulfed him completely... The General recovers from his shock and quickly helps Zelda to her feet, looking concerned.

"(General) Are you all right, Princess?"

"(Zelda) Y-yes, I'm fine. I just didn't expect anything to happen so quickly, or for the Triforce of Courage to react so strongly to him. It surprised me."

_'I don't understand it... When I began to transfer the Triforce of Courage to Shadow, I could sense his heartbeat, and his life energy... His pulse was so faint that I could barely make it out, and his energy was little more than a dim glow... But, the moment the transfer was completed, that glow flared up into a strong blaze, and his heartbeat thudded strongly in my senses...!'_

~Meanwhile...~

_'Where am I? What's going on? I don't get this at all...'_

Shadow is standing in a dim, shaded area, and is completely alone... Ahead of him, the dimness quickly fades, replaced by light that glows ever more brightly the further ahead he looks. Behind him stretches endless darkness... The features of this place are completely blank, with no color other than black, white, and all the shades of gray in between...

"(Shadow) Wh-what's going on here?! Is anyone there?! Hello?!!"

_"You wish to save the other four who wield me, do you not...? Child cursed to remain forever in the shadows, never to dwell in the light, listen well... To survive in the light, and be free of your curse, my aid is necessary... However, you must first prove yourself worthy of it! Face your fear, and show me your courage!"_

"(Shadow) ...!"

_'That was... The Triforce of Courage...?! It can **talk**?! ...Maybe it only does this when it's choosing a wielder... So this is my test... I get the feeling that once I take a single step forward, turning back will no longer be an option... This is probably going to reeeeaaallly hurt, but I have to do it! I can't let my fear of the light stop me now! Not if I want to see them again!'_

Shadow hesitantly takes a step forward, then another. He soon leaves the shade completely behind and begins to feel intense pain, the light burning him almost immediately. With each step forward, the pain only worsens, but he stubbornly continues on, never taking a single step backwards. The light becomes blindingly bright, and Shadow collapses, his body simply unable to cope with it any longer...

_"...Well done, child. You have proven that you truly are one of the five destined to wield me. The trial is over."_

All of Shadow's pain abruptly fades away, though the light is still just as bright as before, and he can feel something warm pulsing in his left hand... A memory suddenly flickers through his mind, of someone holding him in her arms and singing a soft lullaby... Then the light surrounding him grows even brighter, and everything fades to white...

~Back in Hyrule...~

The sound of something shattering echoes through the Sanctuary as the golden light surrounding Shadow fades away... The Dark Mirror has shattered a second time, and the jewel-like shards of glass form a floating ring around Shadow's body as he begins to come to... He opens his eyes and sees the Mirror shards, which begin to glow with a black luminescence... They fuse together as a bright flash takes away all visibility, and when it returns, a shimmering pitch-black shield floats in front of the boy. Its surface bears a bright silver Triforce symbol, and ancient Hylian symbols line the outer edge, roughly translating to _"When true balance between Light and Dark is reached, the truth shall be revealed."_ Shadow stares at it for a moment, then, standing up a bit shakily, he takes hold of the handle and equips the shield, strapping it to his back.

_'Its handle fits in my hand perfectly... Is it just me, or does it really seem like pretty much everyone who gets called "Link" has a tendency to attract magic items and/or weapons that may or may not choose their own wielders...?'_

"(Zelda) The Dark Mirror Shield... I wonder what it does...?"

"(Shadow) Isn't that a bit of a corny name?"

"(Zelda) ...Do _you_ have a better idea as for what to call it?"

"(Shadow) ...Uhhh, no... *sweat drops*"

"(Zelda) Then don't complain!"

The General seems to find this exchange quite amusing...

"(General) You know, you sounded exactly like Green just now."

"(Zelda) *surprised* Come to think of it... You're right, he did!"

"(Shadow) Heheh... Don't worry, I'll find him. Blue, Red, and Vio, too. Speaking of which, I'd better get started, huh?"

Shadow walks to the open door of the Sanctuary. Sunlight streams in from outside, making his hair seem to be streaked through with silver... His left hand now bears the Triforce symbol, and the right-hand triangle glows softly. It has split into five smaller triangles, one of which has turned silver. The Triforce of Courage now looks like the complete Triforce, except that the middle isn't a hole and the top triangle is split in two. The silver triangle is the one on the upper left. The same thing has happened on Zelda's hand, though there is no silver triangle on hers, with it simply showing the fact that the Triforce of Courage has split into five...

"(Zelda) I pray that the Goddesses will watch over you, Shadow... Good luck!"

"(General) Hey. Be careful out there, and don't go getting yourself killed. If you would do me a favor, please tell Green that for me when you see him, too."

Shadow is halfway out the door. He chuckles at the General's parting words, looking back inside the Sanctuary for a moment.

"(Shadow) I see some things haven't changed, even though over a year has passed. You are still a good father, the same as before."

With that, the fifth "Link" leaves the Sanctuary, closing the door behind him. He stands there for a moment, his eyes blinking at the brightness as he gets used to being in the sunlight.

_'Wow... It's beautiful... And to think, I've been terrified of it all this time... The light...'_

Shadow focuses on the Triforce of Courage in his left hand, silently asking it where to go. The upper right-hand triangle flashes pale purple for a single instant, and the image of a cavern entrance set into the side of an active volcano shows clearly in his mind's eye...

"(Shadow) That's... Death Mountain... Where we became friends..."

_'Vio... I'm coming... I **will** find you, I swear it!'_

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading and please review! No flames, please...? *puppy dog eyes* Guesses on what's going to happen next and constructive criticism is always welcome! I hope you enjoyed this! *waves goodbye* See you later, I hope!


	4. Chapter 3: A New Foe?

**A/N:** All right, welcome to chapter three! For those of you who are tired of reading all the non-fighting stuff, and ready for some action, sorry for making you wait so long! As usual, much thanks to **i-wish-a7x**, **Dea Letum**, and **LittlePidgey**! Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ, Nintendo does. I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, the first of which will most likely appear in the next chapter. Anyway... Enjoy!

Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow & arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? He also has the Dark Mirror Shield now.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 3: A New Foe?

"(???) Hihihi... I've found you! The boy who has what I need! But how to take it from you without arousing any suspicion, hmm? I can't risk being found out... Not now."

Someone is watching Shadow make his way across Hyrule Field towards Death Mountain in a crystal ball...

"(???) Ah, so the purple Hero is the one this boy is after. Hihihi, that one used to be my favorite on account of his good fashion sense, but he still takes a close second. I do want to help him, so I guess I'll have to take the backstabbing route to avoid suspicion..."

~Meanwhile, in Hyrule Field...~

"(Shadow) I **hate** Octoroks... Really, **REALLY** hate them..."

_'Oh well... At least I gathered some Force in my sword from beating them... And I'm only a few hours walk away from the entrance to Death Mountain, too.'_

Shadow has set up a little camp in a small grove of trees in Hyrule Field. He already has a small fire going, and had a pretty easy time getting some wood. He looks pretty tired, and has a few bruises and scrapes, but nothing anywhere near being serious. The sun has begun to set...

_'I'll spend the night here, and get some rest. Climbing Death Mountain can wait until morning. I know better than to try scaling it in the dark, though I do have good night vision since I'm a shadow... Or at least was... Anyway, it's called **Death Mountain** for a reason, so I'd better be careful.'_

Shadow checks his surroundings one last time, then settles down to rest...

~The next morning...~

"(Shadow) I hate those stupid rock-spitters... I hate them **soooooo **much..."

Shadow is looking at his reflection in a small stream, holding his dusky purple bangs away from his forehead and wincing slightly. An embarrassingly obvious bruise from an Octorok's attack in the middle of his forehead is slowly turning an ugly greenish-purplish color. It looks painful. Obviously, Shadow got woken up this morning by an Octorok. The annoyed-looking boy lets his bangs fall back over his forehead, hiding the bruise from sight. He sighs and rubs his aching head, then straightens up and continues towards Death Mountain, where he hopes to find Vio.

~A few hours later...~

Shadow is nearly at the base of Death Mountain, which looms ominously ahead of him, dominating the horizon. The terrain has gone from the lush river-filled grasslands of Hyrule Field to the rocky, treeless tundra with sparse vegetation of Death Mountain's foothills. Judging by the various small bruises on his arms and legs, and the fact that he has opted to keep his shield out and ready rather than leaving it strapped to his back, Shadow ran into some more Octoroks on his way here...

_'A year may have passed, but it looks almost as if nothing has changed at all... Except for that huge cavern entrance way up there, that I also saw in that weird vision... That thing is completely new, which makes it more than a little suspicious... Especially since it's so big!'_

"(Shadow) *sigh...* I'd beter get started... I can't afford to waste any daylight, not in this place."

Shadow straps his shield securely to his back and checks the fastening of his scabbard as well as making sure his sword is easy to unsheathe, but won't fall out. He then begins to make his way up the active volcano that is Death Mountain, only stopping for rest in places he knows have firm footing. By the time Shadow reaches the cave mouth, it is late afternoon, and he looks pretty tired from the rough and dangerous climb.

_'Why did I ever like living here again? Oh yeah, I didn't actually have to **climb** this godesses-damned deathtrap back then, that's why... Ugh, all those bottomless pits and rivers of molten lava really make for a depressing mood... But, I can't let myself get discouraged now! The Triforce must've led me here for a reason, after all. Either I'll finde Vio in this cave, or something that will help lead me to him... I hope...'_

As Shadow approaches the entrance of the cavern a voice echoes from the shadows just inside it.

"(???) Hihihi... So you are the infamous "Hero's Shadow," hmm? To tell you the truth, you aren't exactly what I expected you to be. I mean, look at you! You're just a puny little boy!"

"(Shadow) Who are you and what do you want?! Show yourself!"

"(???) Hihihi... Don't be so angry. I'm not here to fight you. At least not yet, anyway. At this point, it would be a waste of time, and quite boring, too. No, I'm here for a different reason."

_'I really don't like this guy. His oh-so-superior attitude seriously gets on my nerves!'_

"(Shadow) Grrr... Don't toy with me! I'm stronger than you think!"

"(???) Hihihi, how funny! Then why are you having so much trouble with mere Octoroks, then, "Hero's Shadow?" They're the weakest of the weak! And yet, you're covered with bruises from their attacks! *keeps laughing at Shadow*"

_'This jerk! He's **laughing** at me now! ...I have to calm down... He may know something. Stay calm...'_

"(Shadow) Either get to the point, or go away. Surely you aren't just here to taunt me?"

"(???) Hihihi, you're very focused, I see! No, I **do** have a purpose in meeting you here. You see, you just so happen to have something I need, and I'm more than willing to trade for it. You're looking for the Hero with the good fashion sense, Vio, correct? I'll tell you what you need to know, but only if you give me one fourth of the center shard of the Triforce of Courage."

_'The center triangle... I sense a faint trace of Wind magic coming from it. It's the right one, it must be!'_

"(Shadow) ...!"

Shadow has his sword and shield out and ready in the blink of an eye, looking ready to attack or defend himself at a moment's notice. He seems to be thinking about something, because he blushes slightly for a moment, then shakes his head and continues glaring in the direction the mysterious stranger's voice is coming from.

_'This bastard! ...Wait. Why does he want the center shard, and only part of it? Hang on, maybe each one belongs to a certain one of us...? This silver one is most likely mine, and the one that turned purple before must be Vio's... Wait, are those two next to each other because I... l-like... Vio...? _(**A/N:** this is when he blushes, obviously!)_ But, whose could the middle one be? Red's, Blue's, or Green's?'_

"(???) All in due time, "Hero's Shadow." I'd hate to spoil the surprise, after all. And the Triforce itself holds no interest for me, so there's no need for you to get all defensive about it. After all, if it **does** come to a fight, your little sword and shield will do you no good! Hihihi!"

Shadow grumbles something about infuriating superiority complexes, distracted for a moment, then focuses again.

"(Shadow) ...Wait, then if the **Triforce** isn't your goal, then you must be after one of us five! Who are you aft-- Mmph!!"

The figure shoots out of the darkness and is instantly covering Shadow's mouth with a pale purple-skinned hand, a wicked-looking dagger held against the boy's neck with the other. Shadow freezes in shock, his arms limp at his sides and his eyes wide disks. The mysterious person whispers something in Shadow's ear, then retreats back out of sight, causing the still partially stunned Shadow to stumble backwards a bit.

"(???) You couldn't possibly understand my reasons now, and I doubt you ever will, "Hero's Shadow." The Hero I seek to _help_ wears a tunic in the color of the lush fields of Hyrule, and if you ever wish to see him again, I suggest you accept my offer. I will wait until you return from this cavern for your answer; or rather, until you have found the one you seek..."

"(Shadow) Let me guess, if I refuse, you'll just take it from me by force, right?"

_'I'm tempted to refuse right here just so I can kick him into next year, but judging by how fast he moved, I get the feeling I won't win... The fact that I'm worn out from a long day's travelling doesn't help much, either. I guess I'd better humor him for now...'_

"(???) ..."

_'Refuse? Once you know the truth, you won't want to. That's what I'm counting on, after all... It's too bad I'll have to double-cross you a bit once you've rescued Vio and given me what I need, but I have to in order to avoid blowing my cover. I'm stretching things pretty thin as is, after all. I guess I'll just "accidentally" use something that will unlock your inner powers once you return to normal, and make sure things don't get too out of hand... If I don't play the bad guy well enough, and I'm found out, I'm dead. And I can't let that happen, at least not until I've helped **him**...'_

The mysterious person falls silent for a few moments, then begins to speak again, this time completely serious and with no sign of the previous teasing, taunts, and such.

"(???) The person you're looking for is deep within this cave system. There is also a strong monster lying in wait. Be careful, for appearances can deceive at the most unexpected of times... Goodbye for now, "Hero's Shadow.""

The figure disappears in a small swirl of wind...

_'I really... **really**... **HATE** this guy!!!'_

"(Shadow) Aaaargh!!!"

Shadow slashes at a few unlucky weeds, letting off some steam. He then proceeds into the cavern...

~Meanwhile...~

In the Sacred Realm, a familiar imposing figure is simply hanging out, minding his own business for once. His flaming red hair and dark skin mark him as a Gerudo, and he bears the Triforce symbol on his hand. Yes, this is the one and only Ganondorf himself! He appears to be taking a nap... Suddenly, the Triforce marking on his hand glows, waking him. He stares blankly at his hand, seeing that the Triforce of Courage has split into five pieces. He has the "WT**F**?!!" look on his face...

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**A/N:** Okay, whoever guesses who ??? is gets a cookie! (well, not a real one, but whatever... ^_^; ) And yes, the big baddie this time around is NOT Ganondorf for once! He really _is_ just chilling out in the Sacred Realm this time! Tee hee, I bet no one saw that coming, huh? Well, I hope you enjoyed, and please review? PLEEEEAAAASE??? I wish more people would read this... ^_^; well, anyways, see ya!


	5. Chapter 4: The First Boss

**A/N:** All right, welcome to chapter four! First boss battle, coming right up! As usual, much thanks to **i-wish-a7x**, **Dea Letum**, and **LittlePidgey!** And... Yay, more people are starting to read this! Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ, Nintendo does. I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though.

Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow & arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? He also has the Dark Mirror Shield now.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 4: The First Boss

Back at the cave system within Death Mountain, Shadow has just reached the entrance of a large cavern deep within the caverns, in the rocky core of Death mountain. Fortunately, there is no lava in sight. Stalactites hang down from the ceiling while stalagmites stab upward from the floor, looking like an endless set of vicious fangs... The cavern is also fairly well-lit by the luminous fungi growing all over... Shadow walks into the cavern, looking around. His sword is in his hand, with his shield strapped to his back.

"(Shadow) ...A dead end? Maybe there's a hidden passage, or I missed something...?"

***RUMBLE...***

Shadow starts in surprise as a rock slab shoot down to block off the passage he just came through, and the room shakes violently. A giant snake bursts from the ground right in front of the startled Hylian, coiling itself around his body and beginning to squeeze, with its huge head in front of and facing Shadow. The monster seems to be made entirely of dark, slightly grayish purple boulders of various sizes with pale gray moss growing on them. Its eyes are milky white, with no pupil or iris. They look dead and soulless, seeming to stare into Shadow's red eyes without really seeing them... The snake is curled around Shadow's body with the tip of its tail near the boy's sword hand. There is a strange, crystal-like growth on said tip...

"(Shadow) Ugh... Agh..."

_'D-dammit...! That cocky jerk even **warned** me about there being a strong monster here, but it caught me completely off guard anyway! Augh, I'm such an idiot! ...I have to get free, quick. All this pressure... A minute or two more and my ribs'll break... Ugh, those eyes are seriously eerie... And it won't stop **staring** at me... ...Huh...? That thing on its tail looks odd... And when it comes to monsters, weird things usually mean weak spots! I might as well give it a shot, since it's my only choice at the moment anyway...'_

Shadow desperately swings at the crystal, just barely managing to hit it due to his arms being squeezed. The snake lets out a pained hiss and its grip on Shadow loosens slightly, easing the pressure a bit.

_'Ha! I was right, it **is** a weak spot!'_

Encouraged by this, Shadow strikes the crystal again, swinging harder this time. A louder, agony-filled hiss comes from the snake and Shadow drops to the ground, quickly establishing some distance between himself and the monster, taking his shield off his back and warily facing his attacker with his shield held in his right hand. The snake begins to thrash wildly, seemingly driven insane by its pain...

***RUMBLE... ROOOAAAAAAAR...***

The cavern quakes violently as stalagmites begin to fall over, crushing anything in their path, and stalactites shoot down from the ceiling like spears. Shadow rushes around, dodging, ducking, rolling, and pretty much doing everything he can to avoid being crushed or skewered.

"(Shadow) Why must monsters always make things fall on people when they're mad?! Whoa!!"

Shadow quickly rolls out of the way of a falling stalactite, whose point shatters into the hard floor right where he was standing just a split second earlier.

"(Shadow) By Farore, that was waaaay too close for comfort..."

_'I have to stop that crazy thing before this whole place collapses!'_

Shadow rushes at the snake, dodging falling stone as he does so. When he manages to get close enough, he finds an area in which all the nearby stalactites and stalagmites have already fallen. He then takes a deep breath and gets ready, waiting for the snake's wild movements to bring the tip of its tail close enough for him to launch an attack. He nearly gets smacked into a wall a few times, but the strange crystal-like growth finally comes into the range of Shadow's blade...

_'Here it is! My opening!'_

"(Shadow) Take this! _Kaitengiri!!!_"

Shadow unleashes a vicious spin attack, hitting the rock snake's weak spot right on target. A bright light flashes and the crystal shatters as the monster lets out a hiss that definitely translates into a scream of overwhelming pain in Snake-Talk and thrashes one final time, then stills, seemingly dead, or at least unconscious. Shadow stares at the creature from a safe distance, having backed up immediately after executing his spin attack.

"(Shadow) Whew... That was exhausting... ...Huh...?"

_'Wait, why hasn't it exploded into black smoke and disappeared yet? Something's not right here... I'd better take a closer look, there may be something important that I didn't notice before...'_

Shadow slowly approaches the fallen snake, his sword sheathed and his shield strapped to his back, though he's fully prepared to jump backwards if it attacks him. The snake lays sprawled motionlessly on the cavern floor as Shadow cautiously approaches its head, which is almost twice as large as Shadow himself. To Shadow's immense relief, its unnerving white eyes are shut, and it does not react to his presence at all...

"(Shadow) ...?!"

The upper right-hand fragment of the Triforce of Courage begins to pulse with a faint purple glow in the rhythm of a heartbeat, and Shadow feels a strong tug in his left hand as the startled boy is pulled towards the snake by his hand. The fragment's glow brightens and its color deepens the closer Shadow gets to the defeated monster. He is now standing right by its huge head, close enough to reach out and touch it...

_'Owwwww!!!!! Vio's piece... it really, **REALLY** wants out! I'd better release it before it decides I'm taking too long and tries to yank my arm off again! Augh, what in Farore's name is going on here?!'_

The Triforce fragment in question shoots out of Shadow's hand the moment he releases it, floating over to hover in front of one of the boulder snake's huge eyes... Said eye flickers about a third of the way open, and the snake lets out a weak, confused-sounding hiss as Shadow starts in shock, staring wide-eyed at the light that has begun to swirl around the beast's long body...

_'No... It can't be... ...Or could it...? Could it be that this rock monster isn't **guarding** Vio, but-? No, that can't be! It just can't! I refuse to believe such a ridiculous idea! Vio would never succumb to evil like that! Ever! This snake must just be holding some kind of key or clue inside it, or some kind of special power, is all! It CAN'T be Vio, it just **CAN'T!!**'_

As if in reaction to Shadow's unspoken thoughts, a rock slab that Shadow hadn't noticed before due to the fact that it blends into the surrounding wall slides upwards, opening up a new passage. Shadow goes to investigate, leaving the Triforce fragment alone with the now-docile snake for the moment...

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**A/N:** Kaitengiri means "spinning slash," apparently. It's what Link says when he uses the spin attack in chapter one of the Minish Cap manga, so I used it because I felt like having Shadow do a battlecry for some reason. Alright everybody, please review! And to all you Vio fans out there... please, please, pleeeeaaaase don't kill me!! He'll be back soon!! And, I refuse to spoil whether or not the snake is Vio. You'll find out next chapter! Bye bye! *waves*


	6. Chapter 5: Vio

**A/N:** All right, welcome to chapter five! I'm sorry I took so long to have more Links than just Shadow be in the story, not counting the prologue, but don't worry, they'll all get here eventually! And as for why this chapter took so long, I was hiding from the angry Vio fans! Well, not really. I've just been lazy... Gomenasaiiii~! ...Well, anyways, on to the fun part! As usual, much thanks to **i-wish-a7x**, **Dea Letum**, and **LittlePidgey**! Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ, Nintendo does. I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though.

Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow & arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? He also has the Dark Mirror Shield now.

* * *

Chapter 5: Vio

The passage leads to a small cave that seems to be a storage room of some sort. As Shadow comes through the entrance of the small chamber, he quickly realizes that he isn't alone. Someone leans against the wall across from where Shadow is standing, their appearance masked by darkness because this room doesn't have as much luminous fungi growing in it as the large cavern Shadow just came from. The only detail Shadow can make out is a pale purple-skinned hand absentmindedly tapping against the rough stone wall of the cave, but it's more than enough for him to know that it's the mysterious informant from earlier.

"(Shadow) You again."

Shadow glares at the mysterious figure, who still chooses to keep his identity a secret.

"(???) What are you so angry about, "Hero's Shadow?" Oh, I see. You still haven't figured it out yet, have you? I assure you, Vio **is** here in these caves. Hihihi, would you like a hint?"

Shadow looks even more annoyed now, but speaks relatively calmly.

"(Shadow) Quit calling me "Hero's Shadow." I'm my own person. And it's rude to keep your appearance hidden like that without at least giving a reason for it. Now explain yourself, or I'll make you do it."

"(???) Hihi, how _scary!_ To tell you the truth, I simply enjoy the thrill of being cloaked in a veil of mystery, "Hero's Shadow." That's all it is, a _hobby_... Hihihi..."

"(Shadow) Stop calling me that. *death-glare* And tell me the truth already! Where is Vio?!"

_'He's hiding something, I just know it!'_

"(???) Hihihi... Silly boy. You've already found him, you just don't know it yet. Also, I hid something I assumed he wouldn't want anyone but you to have here in this room for you to find. I thought I'd do him a little favor, seeing as he's my second favorite out of you "Links" of this time. Doubt my words if you wish, it matters not to me. I've completed my end of the deal. I'll wait for your decision outside, back at the cavern entrance. As a special treat, I may even reveal myself to you there! Hihihi! See you then, "Hero's Shadow!""

"(Shadow) I **said** stop calling me that!"

He simply laughs, then disappears yet again in a swirl of wind.

"(Shadow) Argh!!! He's so INFURIATING!!!"

Shadow angrily kicks at the wall the person was leaning on, and part of it shifts, startling him. He crouches down to look, and sees that there is a little rock slab covering part of the wall. He moves it over, revealing a small alcove.

"(Shadow) Huh...? What's this...?"

Shadow reaches into the opening and pulls out a book. It's the one Vio is always carrying around... Shadow notices that one of the pages is dog-eared, and that its edges and those of a whole chapter's worth of pages behind it are all a bit worn from being handled many times. Curious, he opens the book to the dog-eared page. It is the first page in a chapter about shadows, curses, and the like, and how to break all manner of malevolent charms, hexes, curses, and whatnot... Shadow gently closes the book and sits quietly for a moment with it in his lap, thoughts of Vio and the mysterious person's words about his whereabouts echoing in his head... A tear streaks down the Gray Hero's cheek, though he doesn't notice it...

_'Vio...'_

Shadow attaches the book to his belt and heads back to the cavern with the snake. It is still there along with the Triforce fragment, which is glowing even brighter than before. Shadow walks over to stand next to the snake's head again, staring into one of its barely open, milky white eyes...

"(Shadow) It's really you, isn't it? Vio..."

Shadow's voice is full of a strange sorrow, and he speaks in little more than a whisper. He hesitates for a moment, then wraps his arms as far as he can around the snake's huge head, his left hand beginning to glow bright white, pulsing in time with the purple Triforce fragment. Streams of deep violet light wrap around the snake's body like a glowing tattoo that doesn't quite touch its rocky skin while the Triforce fragment floats above it...

_"(snake) ...Sssssh...."_

"(Shadow) ...?"

_'That hiss... It sounded strange...'_

_"(snake) ...Sssssh....a.... ....Ssssha....d...."_

The snake's hisses have become a faint, whispery voice... A shocked-looking Shadow takes a step backwards as he is gently bumped by the snake so that he'd let go. The huge beast struggles to turn its head, and slowly but surely succeeds. Shimmering white eyes stare into Shadow's flame red ones, no longer dead and soulless...

"(Shadow) ...!"

_'That's why it sounded strange! He's not just hissing anymore, he's trying to speak!'_

_"(Vio) ...Ssssshaaaa...doooowwww... ...Ssshadow... ...Isss that... you...? ...But... ...how...?! ...Isss... isss thisss... ...a... ...dream...?"_

_'A... dream... Yeah, it must be... How else could... he be here...? ...This is a pretty weird dream... ...I'm happy he's here... but... I feel so... weak... can't move... My vision's a little blurry... and all the colors I can see... are faded and... grayer than they should be... My body feels strange, and I'm achy all over... ...Ugh... My head's splitting... Wait. ...If this is a dream... then why am I feeling pain...?! Could this be... __**real...?!!**__'_

The look of confusion on the snake's face is very obvious, and Shadow finds it absolutely hilarious for some reason. He starts laughing a bit, which makes Vio even more confused.

"(Shadow) Haha, the look on your face...! This isn't a dream, Vio! And if it was, it'd be one heck of a weird nightmare, now wouldn't it!"

_"(Vio) ...Huh...?"_

"(Shadow) ...Uh, Vio, you're a snake. A giant snake. Look."

Shadow shows Vio his reflection by using his shield like a mirror.

_'Wh-wh-wh-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???!!!'_

_"(Vio) ...A... sssnake... I'm a.... SSSNAKE...?! ...And I'm... HISSSSING...!! ...Thisss isss... freaky...!"_

_'Not only that, but... I took on the form of the Guardian of the Element of Earth from that old legend... ...Wait, what legend...? ...Can't remember... ...I'll think about it later, I gues...'_

"(Shadow) You can say that again. Sorry about beating you up, by the way."

_"(Vio) ...Wha...? ...Isss that... why my body... hurtsss...? ...Ugh... ...Oh...! My book...? Where did you...?"_

"(Shadow) Some weird jerk with a superiority complex helped me out, dropping a few hints and hiding the book in a storage room near here. Vio, what's with this book? Its pages seem endless, but it barely weighs anything! And the whole thing's in ancient Hylian! ...Which I can read, to tell you the truth..."

_"(Vio) ...I've... alwaysss had it... Even when... Green firssst pulled out the Four Ssssword... ...It'sss magic... and linked to me ssssomehow... It holdsss whatever... information the one holding it... may need or want... even though itssss ssssizzzze and weight alwayssss... sssstayssss the sssame..."_

"(Shadow) ...It's always been with you? That sounds like my dagger... Wait, whatever information the one holding it wants or needs... Of course! There must be something in here that can help you, Vio!"

Shadow quickly opens the book to the dog-eared page and starts looking through the chapter on curses until he finds the section on ones that change a person's form, and starts quickly skimming through it.

_"(Vio) ...Sssshadow... There'ssss... sssome kind of barrier... around me... It'ssss... blocking the Triforcccce pieccce... If you can... break it... I think... I'll go back to... normal...!"_

"(Shadow) A barrier? ...Figures. Hey, does this thing have a table of contents?"

_"(Vio) Of coursssse... Without one, it'd be uselessssss, sssssincccce the amount... and layout of the pagessss changessss depending on... what'ssss in it...!"_

"(Shadow) Right. Okay, magic barriers then..."

Shadow checks the table of contents, then finally finds the information he needs, which is in a small section on particularly nasty transformation curses.

"(Shadow) ...So that crystal thing was more than just a weak spot... It stores evil energy! Uh, Vio, this might hurt... I have to completely cut it off."

_"(Vio) Cut... what off...??"_

Shadow sighs, then explains the whole fight against Vio, who he hadn't known was Vio at that point.

_"(Vio) ...That mussst be... what'sss making me... feel ssssick, too... Do it..."_

"(Shadow) Just... Try not to squish me, all right?"

An odd hiss echoes around the cavern, and Shadow realizes that Vio is laughing at him.

"(Shadow) Was it really that funny?"

_"(Vio) ...Yessss...! *still laughing*"_

"(Shadow) ...Uh, seriously though. Try to stay still, even though this is probably not going to be one bit pleasant."

_"(Vio) I know... I know...!"_

_'Agh, I can't stop laughing! Just the thought of me squishing Shadow... It's so absurd!'_

Shadow sighs and sweat drops, then goes around to the snake's tail. A few shards of the strange crystal-like growth still remain, slightly embedded in the dark purple-gray boulders that make up the snake's body. The gray-clad boy stares guiltily at the chips and cracks in the dusky stone, having the feeling that they're injuries to Vio's actual body...

_'My sword's too big for this kind of delicate stuff... After all, I don't want to hurt Vio any more if I can avoid it...'_

Shadow takes a small silver-bladed dagger from his pocket. It is oddly plain, with a pitch black hilt and a small red gem embedded in the pommel. He stares at the gleaming blade for a moment, then slips it between one of the crystal shards and the dusky purple stone and begins to lever the crystal out. Vio lets out a shriek of pain, an eerie hiss mixed with a tiny hint of a human scream, but forces himself to hold still. Shadow winces at the sound, feeling intense guilt and self-loathing for the pain he's putting Vio through, but grits his teeth and pulls the shard free, getting to work on another. One by one the pieces come out, puffing into black smoke and disappearing as they do. Vio's screams get more and more human and less reptilian with each shard that is removed...

_'Agh, I hate this... I'm hurting him... ...Gotta stay calm... Only one more to go...'_

Shadow pries the final shard free with a loud *pop!*, and Vio's screams gradually come to a halt as the worst of the pain ebbs away. The snake makes a huge effort and twists around to look at Shadow...

_"(Vio) D-don't... worry... sssso... much... I-I'm... okay... R-really... ...Ugh!!"_

"(Shadow) Vio?!"

Shadow runs back to the snake's head, panicked and extremely worried about his friend. Vio has his eyes tightly shut, and is emitting a weak, half-human, half-reptilian moan...

_"(Vio) ...unnnh..."_

Vio's Triforce fragment is glowing brightly, and zips right into the snake's huge body, which begins to glow with a bright white luminescence that engulfs the cavern in its light. The huge silhouette of the snake begins to shrink and change, becoming that of a blond child with pointed, Hylian ears...

_'It worked! Thank you, Farore!'_

Shadow catches the unconscious boy in his arms and lowers him gently to the ground, blushing bright red as he does so, as well as looking more than a little bit miserable when he sees the multitude of cuts and sword wounds on his legs. Having nowhere else but the cave floor to lay Vio down on, Shadow puts the boy's head on his lap, blushing even more furiously than before. Vio wears an outfit identical in style to Shadow's except for the fact that his hat doesn't defy gravity. His hat and tunic are violet in color, and his undershirt is pale purple, with white leggings, brown boots and a brown belt with the same golden spiral-pattern buckle as Shadow's. His skin is a bit darker than the red-eyed boy, and his messy hair is corn yellow.

"(Shadow) ...Except for all those cuts and bruises, he's alright... What a relief... ...Huh...?"

Shadow suddenly notices that his tunic is soaking wet, and touches it curiously. It's oddly warm... He holds his now-wet hand up to see. It's covered in blood, looking black in the eerie fungus-light... He gets dizzy just seeing it as he begins to realize what happened...

_'...I was so focused on finding Vio, and helping him, that I didn't even notice, or feel any pain... By Farore, I'm stupid... I'm hurt bad... I think... at least a few ribs must be... broken... One of them... ...At least... ...pierced the... skin...'_

Shadow blacks out as the pain hits, his head hitting the floor with a soft thump as he loses consciousness...

* * *

**A/N:** Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it! Was Vio acting OOC? I hope not... Well anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, and with luck the Vio fans will have forgiven me by now. ...Uh oh, now the Shadow fans might be after me... He's not gonna die, I swear! Ulp, I'd better go hide again... Well, see you next time!


	7. 6: Friend or Foe! The Mysterious Vaati!

**A/N:** *nervously pokes her head out from her hiding place* Did the angry fans leave yet...? ...Whew, looks like it's safe to come out... Ok, I'm back, and ready to continue! Hope all you readers like it! Many thanks to **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **littlepidgey** as always! Disclaimer time... I now own a copy of both volumes of the Four Swords manga ( YAAAAY~!!!! ) , and I have several of the games, but I don't own the LoZ series. If I did, there'd probably be a LoZ game out with Shadow starring as the hero, or at least a supporting character or something, by now, and the failed cartoon series from a long time ago wouldn't have failed, because it wouldn't have been so horrible, I guess... Maybe. But I don't own, so there! I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though. ...Augh, I rambled! Sorry, sorry! ...By the way, I updated a few of the previous chapters, fixing some errors. Turns out the Triforce of Courage is on the right and Wisdom is on the left... Vio has white leggings... And Shadow's boots are the same color as his tunic. By the way, I decided to have the Links store things in their hats. I found proof that they do in a page of the Four Swords manga where Blue pulls his hammer out of his hat. Yay for the bottomless hats! ...A-anyways... ....Enjoy!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield.

* * *

Chapter 6: Friend or Foe?! The Mysterious Vaati!

"(Vio) ...Unnnh... Ugh... ...Wha...?"

A pair of cornflower blue eyes slowly flicker open as Vio stirs a bit, beginning to wake up. He feels something soft and warm beneath his head, and vaguely notices a slight dampness as well... His mind still fogged by sleep, he slowly, shakily pulls himself into a sitting position, and absentmindedly turns his head to look at what he was sleeping on, his glance turning into a long, slightly-blank-at-first, then-dumbfounded stare.

"(Vio) ........."

He lifts his hand and slaps himself across the side of the face, hard.

"(Vio) ...Ow."

_'Not sure whether I should be relieved that it's not a dream and he's here or sad that this is real and he's hurt...'_

Vio is staring at Shadow, of course. The purple-haired boy in question is out cold, his tunic soaked in blood, with a very obvious, jagged piece of a rib sticking through his skin as the source of the red liquid. His breathing is ragged and uneven, and he's obviously in pain...

"(Vio) *whispers* What in Farore's name did you _do_ to yourself, Shadow...? *sigh...* This is going to hurt him a lot, but it's the only thing I can do..."

Vio pulls a small bottle out of his hat and leans over Shadow, his cheeks immediately turning bright red. He shakes his head violently to clear his thoughts, then quickly presses down hard on the unconscious boy's chest, forcing the offending rib back into its proper place. Shadow yelps loudly, but remains unconscious as Vio unstoppers the bottle and proceeds to slowly and carefully get him to drink its contents. The potion Vio is using is blue in color, with a slight purple tint to it that rules out the possibility of it being a typical Blue Potion.

"(Vio) Come on, Shadow, snap out of it..."

(**A/N:** Now switching to Shadow's POV!)

The first thing he notices is liquid slipping down his throat as he swallows reflexively, and a strong mint flavor.

_'...Ugh... Wha...?'_

He blearily opens one eye, his mind still fuzzy from being unconscious, to see Vio leaning over him.

"(Shadow) ......Vio......?"

Shadow seems pretty out of it...

"(Vio) Yeah?"

"(Shadow) ...You... First... Best... friend... And I... I... tried to... kill you... back then... and... almost... killed you... now.... by... mistake... ...I... I'm.... sorry... Vio... You're... the one I... trust... the most... I... I think I... I l-......."

His eyes slide shut and he almost hits his head on the floor; though he is quickly caught by Vio; as he passes out again... Vio gently rests the sleeping boy's head on his lap and leans against the cavern wall.

"(Vio) ...Sleep well... *smiling tenderly without even realizing it* "

_'Shadow... What were you going to say...? Could it be you feel the same way about me as I do about you...? ...He looks so peaceful when he's asleep... ...I-if I kissed him right now, no one would know... ...But I won't. I would never do that to him. It would be wrong, and it wouldn't mean anything. The only way I'll get that chance... Is if he likes me too... That's how it should be, and I won't hurt him by stealing a kiss. I don't _ever_ want to hurt him... ...Shadow... Rest for now, and heal... This, at least, I can do, though...'_

Vio brushes a lock of deep purple hair out of Shadow's face and, leaning over with his cheeks and ears a bright, flaming red, gently kisses the unconscious boy on the forehead. Shadow smiles a little in his sleep, as if he's having a particularly good dream...

~A little while later...~

Shadow's still out cold, sleeping on the cave floor, and his wounds have all been treated and bandaged up. Vio finishes wrapping a bandage around his leg and expertly fastens it so it won't come loose, leaning against the cavern wall as he does so. As he's pulling his boots on, he hears a sound and looks up. The stone slab blocking the passage Shadow originally used to reach this cavern has just slid back into the wall. Someone is standing there in the entrance...

***clap clap clap clap***

"(Vio) ...! *puts hand on sword hilt*"

The mysterious figure laughs quietly.

"(???) Calm down, Violet Hero. I'm not here to fight. I'm glad you're doing well."

"(Vio) ...Who are you? And what do you want?"

"(???) Why are you so suspicious of me? And here I even opened the door for you so you could leave! Hihihi, what a cold-hearted little boy you are, Violet Hero! Oh well, at least you're more polite than the Hero's Shadow over there, so that's a plus."

Vio glares at him angrily, obviously ticked off about what he just called Shadow.

"(???) Ooh, protective of him, are you? How strange, especially for one who originally wanted nothing more than for him to be dead! Hihihihihi!"

"(Vio) ...Sh-sh-shut up! What do you know?! Show yourself right now, or I'll shoot you!!!"

Vio pulls his bow and an arrow out of his hat and takes aim, obviously extremely angry. A slight blush has spread across his cheeks at the 'protective' comment.

"(???) Ooh, VERY protective! *knowing laugh* Hihihi! Very well, I'll show myself. After all, I want to chat with you for a bit."

_'Down here, she has no way of knowing what I tell them, or the specifics of what I do... It's the perfect place for this.'_

Shadow's mysterious informant steps forward into the glowing light of the luminous fungi lining the cavern walls, his purple-skinned hands extended out in front of him to show that he's unarmed. Each of his palms bears a set of four small crescent-shaped scars, in clear view and obviously less than a year old, and he is wearing a large hooded cloak that hides the rest of his features.

"(Vio) ...! You...! You're...!"

_'Back at the Sanctuary, when Green pulled out the Four Sword and we split again...! He was there! The one who was forcing himself to stay still and not interfere, with his fists clenched so hard his hands were bleeding!'_

"(Vio) You were there, with that _woman!!_"

"(???) Hihihi, so you do remember me after all, Violet Hero. It's a shame, really. You're my second favorite "Link" of this time due to your good fashion sense, and yet I'm going to have to do something nasty to you eventually! Hihihi!"

"(Vio) Wha?! What are you talking about?! First you say you want to talk, then you talk about attacking me?!"

"(???) *suddenly solemn and serious* ...Magic is a mysterious thing. Everyone has the potential to wield it, though some are of course stronger than others, and yet so few manage it because they cannot see their true selves, cannot find their element where it sleeps within them... Hihihi... Can you guess which element you are aligned most closely to, Violet Hero?"

"(Vio) ...What?"

_'This guy... He doesn't make sense, even to me!'_

"(???) Hihihi, you should remember my little magic lesson. It may... come in handy some time. Like now, perhaps."

"(Vio) What are you- AAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

The mysterious person casts a spell and Vio screams in pain as he is trapped inside a clear crystal that looks like one of the ones the Maidens had been trapped in.

_'Wh-what is this thing?! It feels like something's being sucked out of me...! Ugh... A-all of a... sudden... feel so... weak... ...............'_

Vio's eyes dim as the crystal holding him captive changes color from clear to pale purple. The color quickly deepens to pure violet, and his now almost completely lifeless eyes slide shut as he slips into unconsciousness... Shadow groggily opens his eyes, woken by Vio's scream, though he doesn't quite realize that just yet. His cheeks turn bright red as he remembers the dream(?) he had while he blinks sleepily, letting out a huge yawn, then gasps as a twinge of pain shoots through his chest, fuzzily remembering his damaged ribs, though it doesn't really register yet.

_'...That dream... Vio kissed me on the forehead... It seemed so... real... But, it can't have been real, right...? That'd be too good to be true... Wait. Vio... What woke me up was... It was Vio's voice...! He was... He was screaming!!'_

Shadow bolts upright in shock, now fully alert and ignoring the pain in his chest again, only to see his mysterious informant standing next to a glowing, violet-colored crystal, inside of which is Vio.

"(Shadow) Why you! I knew you were rotten from the first time I saw you!"

"(???) Hihihi! I'm just making sure you fulfil your end of the bargain, Hero's Shadow! Give me the Triforce piece I asked for, and he will be released."

_'Of course, that is true, but what you don't know is that I won't be the one doing it. He will, if all goes as I hope it will, and so will you, for that matter... ...I cannot fail. I need that Triforce fragment. And I cannot let her suspect me until I get it to him!'_

~flashback~

"(Green) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!"

"(woman) Ahahahahahaha! Suffer! Suffer as HE should have! Suffer, and die!"

~second flashback~

A dragon curls up in the room in the Tower of Winds in which the Dark Mirror used to reside before Shadow shattered it for the first time. Its scales are a sickly dull gray-green color, and its eyes are a glassy and completely clouded over, blind milky white. A large crystal-like growth wrapped around its face covers most of its head, and seems to be growing larger...

_"(dragon) ....g-rrrrr... g-grrrrr... graaarrr..."_

"Shh, shh. It's all right. I'm going to help you, I promise. I won't let you die."

~end of flashbacks~

"(Shadow) You said you'd stop hiding your identity! Show me your face and tell me your name so I'll know who to beat the living daylights out of at every possible opportunity!"

"(???) Very well. I am Vaati, Sorceror of Winds. Do not confuse me with that power-hungry, idiotic demon Gufuu, mind you! Hihihi!"

He throws off his cloak...

~Meanwhile, at Lake Hylia...~

***splash-whump-thud!***

"(odd kitten) Mewww!"

A cute little red-furred kitten with a tail that splits in two is desperately trying to swim, making repeated attempts and meowing in a distressed and forlorn manner that could melt the heart of even the iciest individual upon hearing, and failing miserably. It's shivering as well, soaking wet and miserable. With each successive time it's washed head-over-heels back to shore by the tiniest wave imaginable, it stubbornly picks itself up and tries again. It's obviously been doing this for a while, as it looks exhausted, but keeps trying.

"(odd kitten) Mewwwww! "

***splash-whump-thud!***

"(odd kitten) Mewwwwww!!!"

Someone comes near... It's a Zora girl.

"(Zora girl) Hmm? I come looking for the supposed monster that's messing up Lake Hylia, zora, but this isn't a monster... It's a kitten! And it likes the water? How cute, zora!"

She picks up the small feline and cradles it in her arms.

"(odd kitten) MEWWW!!!"

It bites her, and goes splashing right into the water, nearly drowning. She scoops it up again.

"(Zora girl) No need to be scared of me, zora. Come on, behave! ...Hmm? Looks like it passed out... Poor thing seems exhausted, zora. I wonder what it was doing here?"

She heads back to Zora's Domain, taking the sleeping kitten with her...

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**A/N:** Who or what is the cute yet mysterious kitty that actually _wants_ to be in the water? Guess it and you get a(n imaginary) cookie~! Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it!


	8. 7: Shadows, Masks, and DoubleCrossing

**A/N: **Two chapters, so quickly! Tee hee, I'm on a roll! It's time for Vaati's big reveal! Many thanks to **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **littlepidgey**as always! Disclaimer time... I don't own, so there! I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though. Enjoy!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield.

* * *

Chapter 7: Shadows, Masks, and Double-Crossing

"(Shadow) You're... **short.** And _**purple.**_" (**A/N:** Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't resist! It's very in-character for Shadow, though, isn't it?)

Vaati's only visibly, demonic ruby-red eye twitches in irritation. He is indeed purple, with pale purple skin, silvery lavender hair that hangs down to cover one eye and sways as if in a breeze even though he's underground, and a deep purple magic user's outfit, as well as being a good inch or three shorter than Shadow. Below his eye is a tattoo of some kind, looking a bit like a 'y' turned backwards, then flipped 90 degrees clockwise. A mirror image of that one is below his other eye, too, but Shadow obviously can't see it due to Vaati's long hair. All in all, he looks like a child and a monster at the same time, yet still somehow manages to be pleasing to the eye. (**A/N:**Okay fangirls, insert your squees here! I know I am!)

"(Vaati) And **you're** stupid."

The two glare at each other, and Vaati's long cap suddenly slips down over his eyes, surreptitiously yanked on by a small shadowy tendril courtesy of the Gray Hero. Shadow laughs as the annoyed sorceror scowls and straightens his hat. It is almost as long as Vaati's hair, with a sinister-looking ruby set into the brim, and radiates a mysterious power that even Shadow can sense due to its immense strength.

"(Vaati) Enough fooling around, "Hero's Shadow" *annoyed, but didn't notice Shadow's trick* Complete your end of the deal."

"(Shadow) Quit calling me that, you cocky little brat! I'm not inferior to any of the others! ...?! ugh..."

He doubles over suddenly, holding his chest, his skin somehow getting even paler than usual.

_'Wh-what the...?! I don't feel so good... Why did a simple trick like that take so much out of me...?!'_

Vaati actually seems to be confused by this outburst, oddly enough.

"(Vaati) What's with you? Finally realized that you hurt yourself? Anyway, who ever said that shadows were inferior? A "shadow" is, in my eyes, at least, a hidden guardian, because it is one of the names by which the legendary Sheikah of old were known."

He sees Shadow's confused look and decides to elaborate.

"(Vaati) The Sheikah were a tribe of red-eyed warriors who possessed the ability to see the truth, their eyes capable of seeing through most if not all illusions. They were sworn to protect the Hyrulian Royal Family, but as far as I know, they are long gone by now, wiped out by some ancient event. You look like one with those eyes of yours, hence the name."

"(Shadow) ..."

_'Annoying as he is, he actually **wasn't** trying to be insulting...? Didn't expect that... ...I should avoid using any of my old abilities, especially since that little trick I played took such a huge toll on me... I refuse to be linked to the Darkness any more. I **won't** become evil again, so I **don't** need it!'_

"(Vaati) As I was saying before, the time has come for you to fulfil your side of the deal. Or don't you want him back?"

"(Shadow) *gritting his teeth* Let him go, and I'll hand it over."

The boy is doing his best to hold back his rage, but looks ready to snap at any moment. Vaati rolls his eyes.

"(Vaati) I think not. I want to be sure you'll give it to me and not just flee. What's the matter, nervous?"

His expression becomes thoughtful as he picks up on something, then a flicker of pure mischief flits through his eyes.

"(Vaati) Or perhaps you have _feelings_ for him? *evil grin*"

Shadow's face turns a bright, blazing red and he quickly pulls a Blue, letting out a loud huff and turning away slightly with his arms crossed to hide his flaming cheeks.

"(Shadow) Sh-shut up! You don't know a thing about me!"

"(Vaati) Hihihi! I was right! *glee* And judging by that little outburst of yours just now, you're too scared to admit it to him!"

"(Shadow) ...!"

Shadow stares at the triumphant sorceror with his mouth hanging open. His expression is stuck somewhere between an indignant 'how DARE you act like you know me?!' glare and a bright red, extremely embarrassed 'was it really THAT obvious?!' blush, and he seems to be stunned speechless. Vaati simply stares at the boy for a few moments. Shadow's pointed ears are slowly turning bright pink at the tips with every passing second.

"(Shadow) Wh-why you, you bratty, infuriating little **jerk!** *bright red and angry* J-just let him **go** already!"

Shadow rushes at Vaati, sword drawn.

"(Vaati) Ah-ah-ah! Behaving like _that_ will get you nowhere! *moving his finger back and forth while making the 'shameful, shameful' expression*"

"(Shadow) Wagh!!"

Vaati chuckles and, with a wave of his hand, Shadow is violently knocked backwards by a strong blast of wind. The annoyed and frustrated boy slowly picks himself up off the floor, his wounded chest aching in protest of this rough treatment.

_'Huh...? Before, when I passed out, I was bleeding... I had broken ribs, and one was sticking out, wasn't it...?'_

Shadow looks confused. He quickly peeks under his tunic, and somehow manages to turn an even brighter shade of red than before if that's even possible.

_'I'm all bandaged up... Vio must have done it. ...Wait. To bandage my chest, he must have had to take my shirt off! ...And... I remember drinking something... It had a strong mint flavor... Everything else is fuzzy, except for that, and that dream... ...Agh, I give up! This is too much! I'm just surprised this jerk hasn't said something **else** to bug me yet! I guess I have no choice but to give him what he wants, much as I don't want to. Something about this whole situation seems... off, somehow. As if that cheerful, infuriatingly confident and sarcastic attitude of his is just a mask... One that I **really** want to rip off, but a mask nonetheless. What is he hiding? Well, there's only one way to find out. ...I get the feeling I'm going to regret this. I don't really pray or anything; heck, this'll be my first time; but this feeling just won't go away. Goddesses, I'm guessing you probably don't like me all that much, but one small favor is all I ask. If something bad happens because of this, please make it happen to me, and me alone. I deserve it anyway for the things I've done. But... He doesn't. ...Protect Vio. **Please.**'_

Shadow's blush slowly fades back to his normal pale complexion as he simply stands there, deep in thought. The tip of his hat is twitching slightly, defying the laws of physics as usual. As the silence stretches out, Vaati drops his carefree mask, his expression becoming serious and extremely worried. His arms are loosely crossed, and his right hand taps rhythmically againxt his left elbow in an absentminded fashion. This seems to be a quirk of his... Shadow looks up and sees that the purple-skinned magic user has become absorbed in his own thoughts as well.

(**A/N:** A quirk is a trait or habit somewhat specific to a person that other people tend to notice and/or remember about or attribute to that person. I decided to define it here just in case, since it's not a very commonly used word and I didn't want to confuse anyone.)

"(Shadow) ...Fine, you win."

"(Vaati) Hm? *brought out of his thoughts by Shadow's voice*"

"(Shadow) Take it, before I change my mind."

Shadow closes his eyes and silently asks the Triforce of Courage to release one fourth of its middle segment. It complies and said piece appears in a flash of light, floating above his left hand.

"(Shadow) Here."

He tosses it to Vaati, who catches it in his right hand.

"(Vaati) ...!"

The sorceror bites back a scream and lets out a low pained hiss as the Triforce fragment immediately begins to burn his palm. He stubbornly refuses to cry out, forcing his fingers to curl themselves around it through sheer willpower, grimacing in pain the entire time as his skin blisters and burns.

"(Shadow) *wide-eyed* By Farore! Your- your **hand!!**"

Vaati smiles bitterly.

"(Vaati) This is _nothing_ compared to what was done to the four Heroes... A mere gentle tap on the shoulder's worth of pain compared to that torture... That torture that I had no choice but to watch happen and do nothing to prevent."

Vaati raises his left hand, showing his palm to the now-extremely-confused Gray Hero. He sees, just as Vio did, a set of four small crescent-shaped scars, and instantly realizes the source.

"(Shadow) That wound... When were you clenching your fist so hard that it bled? And why? ...Hmph, first you come off as an annoying, overpowered brat with a superiority complex, and now this. It makes me wonder; which is the real you, and which is the mask?"

"(Vaati) I have these scars on both hands. They are the permanent mark of my shame. *wincing* And this should leave a scar, too. A record of my attempt to set this right... No hard feelings, "Hero's Shadow." I have no choice but to double-cross you now, or I'll be killed before I can deliver this."

He lets out a bitter laugh, and continues.

"(Vaati) Unlike your former situation, though I do in fact serve the forces of evil, *purposely does NOT say "Darkness"* I do not do so willingly. Good luck, "Hero's Shadow." And farewell, for now, at least."

"(Shadow) What?!"

"(Vaati) Magic is a mysterious thing. Everyone has the potential to wield it, though some are of course stronger than others, and yet so few manage it because they cannot see their true selves, cannot find their element where it sleeps within them. Can you guess which element you are aligned most closely to, "Hero's Shadow?" I have no doubt that you already know, actually. But what you need to consider is this: is any element truly 'good' or 'evil'? Or is it simply a matter of how it is used?"

After making his little 'magic lesson' speech for the second time, Vaati hits Shadow with the same spell he used on Vio, and the gray-clad boy screams in pain as a clear crystal forms, trapping him inside.

"(Vaati) ...I'm sorry..."

_'What...? Did he just...? Heheh... So **that's** the mask... This brat... isn't that much of a brat after all...'_

Shadow sees blood dripping from Vaati's right hand as the crystal encasing him begins to change color from clear to gray. His vision dims and blurs as his consciousness begins to slip away. His eyes slide shut as the crystal turns a shimmering, oddly alluring pitch black...

* * *

**A/N:** Tee hee~! Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it!


	9. Chapter 8: Earth and Darkness

**A/N:**Tee hee! Welcome back to my story! Many thanks to **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **littlepidgey**as always! Disclaimer time... I don't own, so there! I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though. Enjoy!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield.

* * *

Chapter 8: Earth and Darkness

Vio is floating alone in a dark place. His surroundings are blurred, dim, and indistinct, and cannot be discerned. His eyes are closed, and the Triforce mark on his hand is dim, not interfering in this...

_'It's... so quiet here... ...Feel so... tired... Drained... ...Just want to... sleep...'_

A faint echo of Shadow's scream of pain as he's trapped inside a crystal by Vaati whispers softly through the air, barely audible.

_'What...? That... sound... ...A... a voice... ...A __**scream**__...! Sounds so... so **familiar**... but... whose...?! Whose voice... Whose voice **is** that...?!'_

~flashback~

(**A/N:** I'm using a combination of the lines from the onemanga dot com version and printed version of the Four Swords manga for this flashback, with a bit of my own editing and sprucing up...)

The gray-clad shadow stands alone in front of the four heroes, glaring angrily at the one wearing purple, who stands a bit in front of the other three.

"(Vio) ..."

"(Shadow) Vio, you ruined everything so _easily_! How did you do it?!"

"(Vio) You are, after all, a _reflection_ of us. Our thoughts don't differ much. That's why I was able to fool you. The only big difference between us is... if it benefitted you, no matter what, you wouldn't hesitate to hurt or betray anyone, no matter who it was. But unlike you, I just can't throw away the hero in me."

His expression fills with rage and he screams at the purple-clad boy, desperately hiding the feelings of pain, betrayal, and uncertainty from even himself, yet that Vio can somehow still see. His nails have become claws, his appearance turning more savage in response to his violent emotions.

"(Shadow) I'll _never_ forgive you! Don't you _dare_ think this is over! I'm not done yet!"

Vio steps back, forming a line with the other three boys.

"(Vio) Yes, it is."

He looks like he's about to say something more, but stops himself.

_'...I'm sorry. If there was any other way... But there isn't. We have to do this.'_

"(Green) Let's do it."

"(Blue) We're WAY stronger than we were back in Hyrule Castle, just you watch!"

"(Red) Yeah, we're a team now! We won't lose!"

Shadow Link grits his teeth and snarls at them, even angrier than before.

"(Shadow) Damn... You bastards... I'll..."

He lunges towards them, pure hate filling his eyes as he lets out a scream full of murderous intent.

"(Shadow) I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"

The four raise their swords up high, pointing them at the heavens.

"(Green) Oh Four Sword, give us light!"

As one, they point their blades at Shadow right before he can reach them. Light blasts out of the tip of each one, hitting him right on target. Vio's expression looks slightly pained, but he quickly hides it.

"(Shadow) GYAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!"

He quickly begins to disintegrate in the light, his body ripping apart into small shreds and disappearing. Vio, unable to take it any longer, closes his eyes. Shadow disappears, and the four heroes are whisked away to safety by their fairy guide as Death Mountain erupts. Red jumps up and down, cheerful as always.

"(Red) We did it! We beat Shadow Link!"

"(Vio) No."

"(Red) Huh?!"

"(Vio) Not yet. There's still the Dark Mirror."

"(all except Vio) Dark Mirror?!"

"(Vio) Yes. If we don't destroy that..."

Blue holds his hand up in a 'stop' gesture.

"(Blue) Hold it. The four of us have been seperated a long time. We can save the world later, but for now let's celebrate!"

Vio smiles, and Red glomps him.

"(Red) Yay, Vio! I'm so happy you're back, and safe! I almost thought you'd really turned evil!"

Red accidentally steps on Vio's foot.

"(Vio) OWWWWWWW!!!!"

Vio falls over backwards, clutching his foot.

"(Red) ...Oops."

"(Green) It's worse the second time."

The four laugh about it, and catch each other up on what happened while they were seperated. Vio's cheerful mask drops for a moment while the others aren't paying attention. He looks really sad.

_'...Oh, Shadow...'_

~end flashback~

_'That's right... That voice... That scream...! That's __**Shadow's**__ voice...! He's... He's in danger...! I...! I can't give in to this...! I have to go help him...! But how...?!'_

_"Magic is a mysterious thing. Everyone has the potential to wield it, though some are of course stronger than others, and yet so few manage it because they cannot see their true selves, cannot find their element where it sleeps within them... Hihihi... Can you guess which element you are aligned most closely to, Violet Hero?"_

_'That... What he told me before he used that spell...! And he said something else...'_

_"You should remember my little magic lesson. It may... come in handy some time. Like now, perhaps."_

_'That's it! This spell... It feeds off of peoples' magic power, but must not be able to if someone can call on their magic...! That person... He's trying to help us, but making it seem like he's hurting us... What's his story, I wonder? ...Anyway... My element... What is it...?'_

~Meanwhile...~

Shadow, like Vio, floats alone in a strange place. It's pitch black, and he looks like he's in a lot of pain. The boy seems to be struggling against something...

_'No...! NO! I... I WON'T use you! You are NOT me, not anymore! You're evil! The power of evil, the element of evil! I'm not like that anymore!!'_

"(Shadow) ...No...! ...Never again...!"

_'I'm not! I'm not, I'm not, I'm NOT!!!'_

He screams violently, forcefully denying what, deep down, he knows to be true.

"(Shadow) I'M... NOT... **DARKNESS!!!**"

~Back in the cavern...~

"(Vaati) ...?!"

The black crystal is pulsing with dark energy, its rhythm erratic and highly disturbing to watch. It shatters, and Shadow falls to his knees, holding his head in pain with his eyes shut tight.

"(Shadow) N-no... I'm not... Never...! I'm not... you...! I'm not... Darkness...!"

"(Vaati) ...! No, you fool! Denying what you are will-!"

"(Shadow) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Dark energy violently blasts out of Shadow's body and causes a huge explosion, with him at the center of it. Vaati is knocked backwards by the strength of this force, and hits the ground hard.

"(Vaati) Ouch. Looks like my words came too late. I doubt he can even hear me anyway. This isn't good... He's completely lost himself. If this continues... Well, I can't let it continue. I have to take him down before it's too late."

_'Everything I do ends in destruction... And now I've caused this... Normally, the only way to stop him now... Would be to kill him. But I won't do that. There **is** in fact another way, one I am quite proficient with. My signature technique from way back when...'_

(**A/N:** Here it comes~! *squeeing*)

"(Vaati) To Stone With You!"

Vaati's spell shoots through the air towards the swirling mass of blackness.

"(Vaati) Did it hit him...?"

Something stirs deep within the swirls of energy...

"(Vaati) I-I missed?! But how?! ...!"

Visibility improves a bit, and a pair of glowing blood-red eyes can be seen inside the maelstrom. There isn't a single trace of sanity or sense of self in this eerie gaze, just pure mad chaos...

"(Vaati) Wha-?! Agh!!"

Vaati is thrown into the wall and falls to the floor. He lets out a low moan, then stills, seemingly unconscious.

~Meanwhile...~

_'What element I'm linked to... What I am... ...!'_

~flashback~

Two little boys are sitting together in a meadow. A village can be seen close by. One boy has purple hair and red eyes, and is sitting on a log, swinging his feet back and forth cheerfully. The other boy is Vio himself, and he's seeing this in a first-person viewpoint. He instantly recognizes who this boy is, though it's hard to believe.

_'That's...! Shadow...?! As a little kid...?! This is... a memory from when I was a little kid...?! ...How... How is this even possible...?!'_

"(young Shadow) Haha, that old legend is amazing! The Elemental Guardians are so cool! Betcha can't wait to hear the next part tomorrow, huh Vio? I know I can't! Do you think he'll wake up? I hope so, he's so cool!"

"(young Vio) I wonder what it'd be like to be in the story, to be one of them. Which would you be, if you could pick?"

"(young Shadow) Haha! I'd DEFINITELY be Aezehl, he's so cool! Doing anything to protect his friend, even if it gets him hurt! What about you? Who would you be?"

"(Vio) I dunno, really. Which one do you think I would be?"

"(young Shadow) Hmmm... That's easy! You'd be Ryothe, because you're smart and steady like him! And him and Aezehl are best friends, just like us!"

"(young Vio) Ryothe, the Earth Guardian! Heheh, how'd you know what I was thinking?"

"(young Shadow) Hey, you said you weren't sure!"

"(young Vio) I wanted to see if you'd guess it right, is all! Hahaha!"

~end flashback~

_'I knew Shadow... As a kid...? I was a kid in the first place...? ...What does this mean...? Wait... ...An old legend... The guardian of Earth, Ryothe... Am I... Earth...? Is that my... my Element...? ...It... It feels... RIGHT somehow... Yes...! This is me...! Steady and intelligent... The calm, self-possessed one... My purple clothes... I'm Earth!'_

"(Vio) ...Earth... I... I'm... Earth...!"

Vio's eyes flicker open, and his surroundings slowly come into focus. He's surrounded by dusty, cracked rock and dead plants. He reaches out to them instinctively, and begins to glow brightly with a strong violet light. The plants burst vibrantly into life, and the stones become whole and colorful. The light grows brighter and brighter...

* * *

**A/N:** Weird old legends and weird names, too! Tee hee, what do they mean~? Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it!


	10. Chapter 9: Deja Vu

**A/N:**Tee hee! I'm still on a roll! Many thanks to **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **littlepidgey **as always! Disclaimer time... I don't own, so there! I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though. Enjoy!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield.

* * *

Chapter 9: Deja Vu

Vio gently lands on the floor as the crystal holding him captive dissolves. He slowly opens his eyes, blinking a few times. They've changed color, going from their previous cornflower blue to deep violet. He looks around, first seeing Vaati on the ground, then his eyes widen in shock and horror as he sees the swirling mass of Dark energy, and the glowing red eyes within it.

"(Vio) Wh-what... What is that...?!"

_'No... It can't be... That CAN'T be you...!'_

"(Vaati) Heheh, you should see the look on your face... Priceless..."

"(Vio) ...!"

Vaati is leaning heavily against the cave wall in order to remain standing. Vio looks at him worriedly, then asks the first thing on his mind.

"(Vio) ...That thing... What is it...?"

Vaati laughs bitterly and nods slightly when he hears the dread in Vio's voice, knowing that the boy has already guessed the truth, but doesn't want to believe it.

"(Vaati) It's him, all right. That's what happens if you try to deny your true nature; you essentially lose yourself and turn into an insane, ridiculousy powerful monster that will destroy anything and everything around it. Especially those it used to care about- *koff!* Argh..."

Vaati coughs up some blood, then continues.

"(Vaati) I think this is because they drive it even more insane, by bringing back parts of itself. If you can... Get him to come to his senses somehow... Do it. Before he comes out of that cocoon of energy, if possible..."

Vaati slumps back down to the floor, exhausted just from the effort needed to stand.

"(Vio) Are you going to be okay? And who are you, anyway?"

"(Vaati) Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself, and the one you seem to like so much. After all, you're not the only one who blushes a lot. *hint-hinting* My name's Vaati. Vaati, the Sorceror of Winds. Not to be... *koff!* confused with that stupid demon Gufuu... Ugh... Serves me right..."

"(Vio) ...Uh, okay then... *blushing slightly* Shadow! Shadow, snap out of it! Please! Can't you hear me?!"

"(Shadow) ...n...o...t... ...d...a...r...k...n...e...s...s... ...d...a...r...k...n...e...s...s... ...e...v...i...l... ...n...o...t... ...m...e... ...i...t... ...i...s... ...N...O...T... ...m...e...!"

"(Vio) Shadow, listen to me! You have to accept the Darkness! It's just as much a part of you as the rest of you! It's not evil, not by itself! It's how it's used that decides whether it's good or bad! Please, wake up!!"

"(Shadow) ...N...o...! ...L...i...a...r...! S..h...u...t... ...u...p...! ...! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!"

***RRRRRIP!!!***

Shadow hunches over as something tears out of his back... The swirling Dark energy around him dissipates, flowing into his body. Visibility is returning with every passing moment as the Darkness disappears into him... The boy's appearance has changed. He is now a raging monster with no trace of his former self left. His skin is even paler than its usual color, as white as if he were dead, and his hair has grown spikier and more shaggy, his hat having fallen to the floor. His fingers have become sharp claws, and his teeth vicious, beast-like fangs... The last of the Darkness disappears, revealing his back...

"(Vaati) G-Goddesses!! That appearance...!! Just like Aezehl from the legend of the Guardians!!"

A set of pitch black, feathered wings sprout from Shadow's bloodied back. They seem to have literally ripped themselves out through his skin as they formed...

"(Vio) ...!"

_'Aezehl... That's... The guardian Shadow seemed to admire so much in my memory...! That legend... What is it...?! Argh, I can't remember!! Anyway, it doesn't matter right now! Shadow does!'_

Vio runs towards Shadow, completely unarmed and not caring one bit. He's crying without even realizing it, and screaming at the insane boy-turned-monster to come to his senses.

"(Vaati) ...Idiot...! You'll get yourself _killed...!_ ...unnnh..."

Vaati passes out...

**"(Shadow) STAY AWAY FROM ME!!! YOU'RE LYING, YOU'RE LYING!! YOU WANT TO MAKE ME JOIN THE DARKNESS AGAIN, THE EVIL AGAIN!!!"**

"(Vio) Shadow, I would never-! Ah!! Wh-wh-what?!!"

Shadow's body suddenly turns translucent and he clutches his head. Vio stares, horrified, as Shadow turns completely transparent for a moment. This erratic flickering, once begun, does not seem to want to stop, and Shadow slumps into a kneeling position, moaning and shaking his head back and forth with his hands covering his face, muttering the same phrase over and over again.

**"(Shadow) You're lying, you're lying... Stay away, stay away..."**

"(Vio) Shadow, please!!"

Vio takes a step forward.

**"(Shadow) STAY AWAAAAAAAY!!!"**

Dark power streaks outward, straight at Vio.

*plip... plip...*

Drops of the purple-clad hero's blood drip onto the floor. His arms are covered in jagged thin slashes from the attack, as he threw them up in front of his face and upper body just in time to avoid taking major damage. Those insane red eyes seem transfixed by the blood, staring at Vio's arms while being wide as dinner plates...

**"(Shadow) Ah... Aaaah!!!"**

He's shaking, his head tilting from side to side, back and forth, a look of pure horror on his face with his hands holding his head, pulling at his hair. Somehow, the mere act of hurting Vio has triggered some of his self to return, probably due to the trauma it's obviously causing him... Vio walks forward and carefully wraps his arms around Shadow, who no longer resists or cries out, but simply kneels there, moaning and shivering with his head in his hands, small sobs escaping his throat every couple seconds...

"(Vio) It's okay... It's okay, Shadow... Come on, come back... Please..."

**"(Shadow) Uhhhhh... Urrrr..."**

He goes limp, and his wings slowly fold shut, quietly retreating back into his body. Fangs shrink back down to teeth, and claws to fingers. His hair returns to normal, as well. His skin is still deathly pale, though, and he feels alarmingly cold to Vio, who's holding him.

_'He's so cold... Something's wrong!'_

Dull red eyes look up at Vio, and Shadow's voice comes out in a barely audible whisper.

"(Shadow) ...unnnh... V... Vi... o... Vio... I... I'm... so...rry..."

Shadow's eyes dim even further, and slide closed. Tiny sparks of light begin to float upwards from his body and flit around the room as Vio realizes what's happening, too late to stop it even if there had been a way to do so...

_'His soul is... His soul is dying!! He's... Shadow's **dying!! NO! Please, Goddesses, NOOO!!!**'_

"(Vio) No! Nooo! Shadow, hang in there! Don't die, PLEASE! I-! You-! You're very, VERY important to me, do you understand?!"

Vio is too panicked to blush at this point, even though he basically just admitted his feelings towards the boy who lays shivering in his arms.

"(Shadow) ...Heheh... So it... wasn't... one-sided... after all... ...That's... good..."

"(Vio) ...!"

Shadow's breathing slows, and stops. Vio seems to be in shock, memories from the past suddenly returning to him...

~flahsback~

_"And Aezehl, enslaved and cursed by Skyth in exchange for Ryothe's life, was then ordered to fight his best friend, whom he had been trying to save all along. "NO!" He cried out, his voice full of horror. "I don't care if it kills me, I won't obey!" Rather than attack Ryothe, he turned on Skyth, felling that horrible being. The curse was triggered by this, however, and Aezehl fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Ryothe, seeing this, cried out in terror for his friend. "Aezehl! Oh, Aezehl, why would you do ssssuch a thing for me?! You sssshould not have done it! I am not worth your life! Nothing issss worth that!" Aezehl looked at him weakly, his soul already beginning to fade and his voice a mere whisper. "...No... ...You are worth... ...that... ...and more... ...I am... ...the one... ...unworthy of... ...someone like... ...you... ...Ryothe... ...This is... ...Goodbye..." His eyes slid shut as his soul left him, sagging limply to the ground. Ryothe, heartbroken, wept helplessly over the fallen Shadow Guardian's lifeless form. The cavern began to shake, unstable now that Skyth's vile magic no longer supported it. Ryothe curled his immense rocky body around his fallen friend to protect him, and fell into a deep slumber beneath the earth..."_

~second flashback~

_"(young Shadow) Haha! I'd DEFINITELY be Aezehl, he's so cool! Doing anything to protect his friend, even if it gets him hurt! What about you? Who would you be?"_

_"(Vio) I dunno, really. Which one do you think I would be?"_

_"(young Shadow) Hmmm... That's easy! You'd be Ryothe, because you're smart and steady like him! And him and Aezehl are best friends, just like us!"_

~end of flashbacks~

"(Vio) Aaah! Aaaaah!!!"

He's crying hysterically, Shadow's lifeless, soulless body limp in his arms as tiny sparks of light drift forlornly through the air...

~Meanwhile, in the Dark Temple~

A young boy in a white tunic screams and bolts awake.

"(white-clad boy) AAAAH!!! N-n-n-no!!"

A voice echoes in the frightened child's head, reassuring him.

_"It's all right. You can still save him, little one. Hurry. Your body shall be safe here. Go to him!"_

"(white-clad boy) Uh-uhhh... Y-y-y-y-ye-ye-yes...!"

~back in the cavern~

Someone appears behind Vio. He doesn't notice, being too busy crying. A light, high-pitched voice that could only belong to a small child echoes through the cavern, stuttering oddly.

"(???) D-d-d-do-doewoon't k-k-k-kwyy... (Don't cry...)"

"(Vio) ...?!"

Vio whips his head around, looking for the source of the voice. Finding it, he simply stares in shock. Floating in midair in the same pose Shadow was in when he floated during the fight at Hyrule Castle is a little boy wearing a white tunic, hat, and boots. His hat is defying gravity, and he's glowing a bit. With pale skin like porcelain and doll-like features, the boy is quite cute. His hair is silvery white, and fades gradually to dusky purple at the tips. Warm, wide eyes in an odd shade of silvery pale pink look right at the stunned Vio.

"(Vio) Who... What... Who or what are you...?!"

_'He looks... like Shadow... Like a mirror image of Shadow...!'_

"(white-clad boy) ...K-k-k-ka-ka-kann... h-h-h-h-he-he-helwp. K-k-kann hel-helwp... h-h-hee-hee-heewm. Ee-ee-eet... n-n-na-nawt toowoo w-w-wayte. (...(I) Can... help. (I) Can help... him. It('s)... not too late.)"

"(Vio) Huh?"

He lands on the floor without making a sound, and walks over to the two boys, crouching down next to them. His hands begin to glow with a gentle white luminescence...

* * *

**A/N:** He's not dead, I swear! He'll come back!! Please don't kill meee! T_T And who is this white-clad Shadow lookalike, hmm? Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it!


	11. Chapter 10: Shadow's Lookalike

**A/N:**Tee hee! I'm still on a roll! And no fangirls have murdered me yet! Sorry if the second half of this is a bit filler-ish, but it actually is important! Many thanks to **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **littlepidgey **as always! Disclaimer time... I... don't... own!!! I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though. I guess I own the white-clad boy, huh? Maybe? Not really sure, since I've seen characters like him in other Four Swords fics... Anyways, enjoy!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 10: Shadow's Lookalike

"(Vio) Wh-what are you going to do?!"

"(white-clad boy) Helwp h-hee-heewm. (Help him.)"

The boy clasps his hands together and closes his eyes, looking like he's praying. The tiny sparks of light that have scattered around the area begin to gather around him as he does so.

"(Vio) ...!"

_'Is he...?!'_

"(white-clad boy) T-t-ti-tiyme t-to w-w-wae-waeyke awp! (Time to wake up!)"

He opens his eyes and places both hands on Shadow's chest. Their glow brightens considerably, far outshining the luminous fungi growing here, and Shadow's body convulses violently as the strong energy begins to shoot through his system. Vio tightens his grip on him immediately, just barely preventing his head from bashing into the hard stone floor of the cavern. He hangs on tightly as his friend spasms severely with each pulse of power coming from the mysterious child's hands. On closer inspection, the white-clad boy is in fact see-through, and Vio's hand passes right through his arm as he steadies Shadow without the Violet Hero even noticing it, subconsciously cataloguing this information for later use as usual. The tiny sparks of light spiral closer and closer to Shadow's body, and suddenly disappear inside him with a soft *shwoof!* Shadow gasps suddenly, and starts coughing as he begins to breathe again, his body warming rapidly under Vio's hands. Vio's still holding him, sitting on the floor with Shadow propped up in a semi-sitting position in his lap.

"(Shadow) ...u-unnnh..."

"(Vio) ...!"

The white-clad boy fades out of view. He hasn't left, but is actually just going back to his previous floating position without being noticed, giving the two boys some privacy.

"(Shadow) ...You're... so warm..."

Vio does nothing for a moment, then hits himself across the side of his face, again.

"(Vio) OW."

A look of relief and joy fills his eyes as his face turns bright red at Shadow's words. The purple-haired boy laughs quietly, his eyes still closed.

_'That sound... He slapped himself, to see if this was real or not... Haha... I'm tempted to do it, too, but I don't think it's possible to dream when you're dead, anyway...'_

"(Shadow) Thought it was... a dream again, huh...? ...Vio... How did you...? How did you... bring me back...?"

"(Vio) I didn't."

"(Shadow) ...Huh...? Then, who...? ...!"

Shadow's eyes, back to their normal flame-red color at last, snap open in shock as a peal of tinkling, bell-like laughter echoes innocently through the air. Vio is startled by it too, having thought the white-clad boy had already left.

"(white-clad boy) *giggle!*"

He's floating in midair again, and is of course the source of the laughter. The boy giggles some more, then points at himself, smiling happily.

"(white-clad boy) M-m-me. W-wuh-wuh-wuz... m-me. (Me. (It) was... me.)"

"(Shadow) ...Wha...?!"

_'He looks like...! He looks like ME! 'Course, he looks like the other "Links," too, but that skin, and the hints of purple in his hair...! Who or what IS this kid?!'_

"(white-clad boy) S-sl-sleepy. G-g-gawtuh gowoo b-b-ba-bawck. Bye-bye! (Sleepy. Gotta go back. Bye-bye!)"

He disappears in a swirl of light.

"(Vaati) ..."

_'That child... Amazing... Ugh, I hit the wall really hard... I'd better go now... Before they notice me, or I pass out again, Goddesses forbid...'_

Vaati disappears in a swirl of wind...

~Back in the Dark Temple~

The white-clad boy rubs his eyes sleepily as he comes out of the trance he was in.

"(white-clad boy) M-m-mama Fawwowwe! I-I deed eet! I d-dee-dee-deed eet! S-so-sowoo h-ha-haw-haawppy! D-deed oo s-s-see? (Mama Farore! I did it! I did it! So happy! Did you see?)"

The voice echoes in his head again.

_"(Farore) Yes, little one, I saw. You saved your other half perfectly, and just in time, too, with no hesitation or fear of failure. I'm very proud of you."_

"(white-clad boy) T-t-t-ti-tiwwred, d-d-dowoo... (T-tired, though...)"

_"(Farore) That's only to be expected. What you did normally isn't even possible. Rest for now. He'll find his way here eventually, even if I or one of my sisters has to prod him a bit."_

"(white-clad boy) O-o-okayee! I-I ho-howppe i'sss s-s-soo-soowoon! (Okay! I hope it's soon!)"

_"(Farore) In the meantime, why not work on your speech, hmm?"_

"(white-clad boy) Awww... B-boeweeng... ...B-b-ba-bawt, I-I-Iyeel t-tw-twyee HA-HAWRD! _Weel_ h-hawrd! (Awww... Boring... But, I'll try HARD! _Real_ hard!)"

She answers him warmly in his head, like a real mother would.

_"(Farore) I know you will."_

~Several hours earlier, at Zora's Domain~

The sun is setting over the kingdom of the Zora people. The Zora girl who picked up the odd kitten is in the throne room, speaking to the king.

"(Zora girl) Father, I'm back, zora! I didn't find the monster, not yet, but I'll try again tomorrow!"

"(King of the Zora) My dear Ruto! Please, stop this foolishness, zora! I don't want to see you getting hurt! Leave this matter to the warriors, it's their job, zora!"

"(Ruto) No, father! How many times do I have to say it, zora?! Let Rutela be the princess, the heir to the throne, zora! I am a warrior! I'm not suited to all that wimpy girly-girl stuff, zora! And I'm not a guppy! (**A/N:** Wow, managed to put in an Ocarina of Time manga reference... "I'm not a guppy" is apparently the Zora equivalent of "I wasn't born yesterday!" or "Don't treat me like a baby!", I think.) I can fight, zora! I practice hard, and I can beat all the other trainee warriors easily, zora!"

"(King of the Zora) Wh-wh-whaaat?! Y-y-you've been... You've been _training?!_ Training as a warrior behind my back, zora?! Even though I strictly forbade it?!"

Ruto glares unyieldingly at her father, not budging one bit.

"(Ruto) Yes, I have! And I don't regret it, not one bit! I will protect this kingdom with my own fins, zora! And not even you can keep me from doing it, zora, even if you are my father, even if you are my King! Deal with it, zora! My decision is final! I'm going back out there tomorrow, too, zora!"

"(King of the Zora) R-Ruto... My dear little Princess... You've never acted like this before...! What's gotten into you, zora?"

"(Ruto) Nothing's 'gotten into me,' Father. I just decided to stop hiding the real me, zora!"

"(King of the Zora) ... O_O"

_'I-is this... That dreaded phase of a child's growth...? Yes, it is... My dear Ruto has become a teenager!! T_T '_

"(King of the Zora) I-I forbid it! You are not to be a warrior, zora! I completely, absolutely forbid it!!"

"(Ruto) Oh, stick a fin in it!"

They glare at each other, seemingly at a stalemate.

***rustle, rustle***

"(Ruto) Hmm...?"

Her father notices that Ruto is carrying a small bundle.

"(King of the Zora) Ruto, what's that you have there, zora?"

"(Ruto) Oh, I almost forgot! I found this kitten trying to swim when I was at Lake Hylia. It was so cute, and seemed to like the water, so I brought it with me."

She unwraps the bundle a bit and the kitten dazedly peeks its head out, mewling faintly.

"(King of the Zora) A kitten, zora? I wonder what it was doing there?"

"(Ruto) I don't know, but it sure is cute- hey!"

"(odd kitten) Mewww!!!"

The kitten jumps out of her arms and falls flat on its face on the floor, paws splayed out spread-eagle fashion and trembling a bit, too weak to support its weight. It split tail swishes back and foth in frustration as it tries to get up, failing miserably.

"(Ruto) Huh? It has a weird tail, zora! The poor thing's exhausted, and probably hungry, too. Father, I'm going home. I'd better give this little kitten some food and treatment, zora. And I'm still going to Lake Hylia tomorrow!"

Ruto scoops up the kitten and runs off, leaving the room.

"(King of the Zora) Ruto, w-wai--! ... *sigh...* She never listens, zora."

Another zora girl comes out of her hiding place. She'd been eavesdropping. She looks a lot like Ruto, but is shorter. It's obvious that the two are sisters.

"(King of the Zora) R-Rutela?! You were listening, zora?!"

"(Rutela) Of course, Father. After all, Sister isn't going to change her mind, so you should leave her be, for your sake and hers."

"(King of the Zora) Rutela, you know very well that it's dangerous outside of Zora's Domain, zora! And yet you're saying I should just let her go?!"

"(Rutela) Did that stop the first Ruto, when she went and hid in Jabu Jabu's belly in order to follow her own dreams, zora? Big Sister is like her, I think."

"(King of the Zoras) *sigh...* You're probably right. How can two sisters be so _different_, zora...?"

"(Rutela) I'm guessing that was a rhetorical question, zora. ...Ah! The time! I have to go finish my daily chores, Father, sorry!"

Rutela runs off, leaving her father alone to be amazed at his two daughters as always.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**A/N:** Tee hee! White Link is cute, mysterious, and talks funny! And don't forget the kitten that likes the water! XD Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it!


	12. Chapter 11: Trickery and Guidance

**A/N: **Yeah, the pairing somehow went from Green X Zelda to Green X Vaati... Umm, I hope no one minds...? Many thanks to **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **littlepidgey **as always! Disclaimer time... The only LoZ stuff I own are some copies of games and mangas. That's it. I don't even own any plushies, much as I wish I did... T.T I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though. I guess Ruto and Rutela are kind of OCs, in their personalities and the fact that they're sisters, at least, though they come from the LoZ universe. Enjoy!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his.

* * *

Chapter 11: Trickery and Guidance

"(Vaati) How is this even possible...?"

Vaati is outside the cavern entrance at Death Mountain. It's sunset, with the horizon glowing with blazing oranges, reds, and pinks. He is staring at his right palm, a look of sheer disbelief written plainly on his face. Branded into his blistered skin above the set of four crescent-shaped scars, right in the very center of his palm, is an angry-looking, fresh red burn in the exact same shape as the Triforce fragment he acquired from Shadow. Said piece is actually _inside_ his hand, grudgingly allowing him to act as a temporary host of sorts, though he obviously cannot wield it as the "Links" can. The power radiating off of it is immense, and it's definitely painful. It's as if the fragment is saying "Fine, since you seem to have good intentions, I'll tolerate you holding me, for now at least. But I am in **no** way happy about it, and don't you forget it!"

"(Vaati) *sigh...* This solves one problem, but it could prove troublesome... She'll be expecting my report soon. I have to hurry and shield this somehow..."

He disappears in a swirl of wind.

~about two hours later...~

Vaati bows in front of a feminine figure seated behind a screen. (**A/N:**One of those gentlemanly half-bow things where you smoothly bend forwards while standing straight and fluidly come back up with a sweep of your arm...) The chamber is elaborate, obviously a throne room, and has a dark, evil theme to it. The purple-skinned wind sorcerer is hiding his right hand from her, holding it partially behind his back. His manner is that of how a trusted servant or adviser would act towards his or her master, and shows nothing of his true feelings.

"(Vaati) Milady, the Hyrulean princess, Zelda, has resurrected the shadow of the four heroes and given him the Triforce of Courage. It seems to be guiding him to those four, as I found him deep inside the caverns of Death Mountain with the Violet Hero, who had been restored to his human form somehow. I-"

"(woman) Wait a moment, my dear little Wind Mage. I have been wondering about something since you entered this chamber. What is that on your right hand?"

He seems unfazed by this, as if he was expecting it, which he was.

"(Vaati) You are perceptive as always, Milady. Please, let me finish my report first. The explanation will make more sense then."

She seems satisfied by his response, and motions for him to resume speaking.

"(woman) Very well, you may continue."

"(Vaati) Thank you Milady, you are quite gracious. As I was saying, I encountered the shadow of the four heroes after he had already restored the Violet Hero to his normal state. I managed to take a fragment of the Triforce from the shadow, intending to seal it away so that they can never again fully unite. However, **it**had other ideas. The moment I touched the piece, it burned itself into my palm. The pain nearly made me lose consciousness right then and there, but I managed to flee before blacking out. I know how much the power the Triforce emits bothers you, Milady, so I did my best to create something to shield it with."

Vaati holds up his right hand to show her. He is wearing a fingerless gauntlet made of pitch black cloth interwoven with bright silver thread that forms magic symbols so tiny that they are only noticeable extremely close up, giving the dark-colored fabric an odd shimmering quality. Bands of a thin, flexible metal wrap around the back of his hand in an upside-down version of the Triforce, and the while metal seems to be imbued with glow-in-the-dark qualities, constantly gleaming with a muted radiance. Black leather straps hold the gauntlet securely on his hand, wrapping around his wrist. They look efficient and easy to take off or put on, but not likely to come off on accident.

"(woman) ...Take it off."

"(Vaati) What? Milady, why-?"

She laughs, and her hand can be seen doing a flippant wave behind the screen.

"(woman) Don't worry, my dear, I just want to see what that accursed artifact did to your poor little hand. A few moments of being near it won't do me any harm, it is just quite uncomfortable. Now take it off, and let me see your palm."

Vaati sighs in defeat.

"(Vaati) As you wish."

The implied "though I really don't think this is a good idea" hangs silently in the air, unsaid but still clear to see. Vaati releases the straps around his wrist and pulls the gauntlet off in one quick, fluid motion. The burn on his palm instantly blazes to life, reacting violently; and obviously very angrily; to the woman's presence.

"(Vaati) Gh-!"

He bites back a scream, just barely managing to hold it in. Behind the screen, the woman is snarling hatefully at the power radiating off of the Triforce fragment, baring her teeth furiously. Vaati is overcome by a strange dizziness for a moment, a sudden image flashing through his mind too quickly to make out any detail whatsoever.

_'What...?'_

"(woman) Put it back on! Seal that accursed relic's power back up, **NOW!!**"

Vaati gets the gauntlet back on as quickly as he can, fumbling a bit in his haste. Both people sigh in relief, the woman because she can no longer feel the Triforce of Courage's power, and Vaati because the piece calms down once it's blocked off from sensing the woman's presence, the pain it causes him easing back down to the just-barely-tolerable level it had been at before. The woman seems to still be a bit tense, and is in the process of calming herself down, and Vaati is just looking down at the floor with his eyes slightly unfocused. He's still trying to get control over the pain, and is panting from the strain of both the pain itself and of keeping control over it.

"(woman) You were right as always, my dear little Wind Mage. I should have left it alone. That was... unsettling, to say the least."

Vaati looks up at the screen, at the woman, still breathing heavily. He lets out a weak, slightly sardonic chuckle, as if laughing at a private joke.

"(Vaati) ...I see that... **it** dislikes **you**... as much as **you** dislike **it**, Milady... *haa... haa...*"

Her voice sounds somewhat concerned when she answers him, and is much, much gentler than when the Triforce of Courage was making her ticked off.

"(woman) ...Vaati. That, that **thing**causes you pain, does it not? You don't have to hide it from me. I apologize for causing your condition to worsen, my dear. You are dismissed. Make sure to get some rest, you look like you've been trampled by a herd of Bulbos on a stampede."

He laughs weakly, looking somewhat sheepish.

"(Vaati) Was it really that obvious? ^.^; ...As you wish, Milady. I take my leave."

Vaati bows again, then turns around, his cloak swishing out behind him, and exits the room, disappearing in a swirl of wind as he reaches the doorway. The woman looks somewhat pensive now, deep in thought.

_'A piece of that thrice-loathed tool of those foolish Goddesses has forced itself on my dear little servant... What does this mean, and what are those three sorry excuses for divine beings planning for him? I'll have to keep a close eye on him, that damned item could try to possess him, or worse...'_

~At the Palace of Winds...~

Vaati appears in a bedroom, apparently his. It's surprisingly spare; simple, functional, and small. He sits on his bed, his calm loyal servant's mask gone without a trace. He sighs heavily, suddenly looking oddly young; a lost child, his mother nowhere to be found. The gauntlet lays on a nearby shelf, unneeded for now, as Vaati stares into space and his uninjured left hand taps rhythmically against the comforter. The triangular burn on his hand is glowing faintly, gently. The mysterious sorcerer with many secrets looks out his open window towards a nearby tower. The pain in his hand begins to fade as the burn begins to glow with a gentle green luminescence, pulsing rhythmically just like Vio's fragment did when it began to react to the purple-cad boy-turned-monster's presence.

_'It's sensed him, hmm...? What a difference the person it reacts to makes... I felt its rage towards her, and could barely keep myself from screaming, from releasing it to attack her or letting it use my body and power to attack her as it wanted so much to do... But now, I can feel a gentle warmth beneath its "I don't like you" aching... It's calling him...'_

Vaati lets out a soft laugh, smiling tiredly. He seems to be talking to the Triforce fragment in his hand.

"(Vaati) Heh... Soon enough, don't worry... Just let me rest for a few hours, that's all I ask..."

The exhausted youth kicks off his shoes and lays down on the bed, fast asleep before his head so much as touches the pillow. Oddly enough, he wears his cap when he sleeps, too.

~Back at Death Mountain...~

"(Vio) Hey, I see light! We must be getting close to the surface!"

"(Shadow) Ugh, finally! I want to see the sky again, and all that dank cave air gets really irritating after a while! I wonder how long it's been since I came in... ...Hey, you all right? You're limping."

"(Vio) Uhhh, n-no I'm not. ^.^;;; "

Shadow rolls his eyes at the obvious lie. The two boys are making their way out of the cave system. Vio's arms are all bandaged up, though he probably won't be wielding his sword or bow for a while from the looks of things, and he's limping slightly. Vio stubbornly hides this as best he can, not wanting to worry Shadow, but his gray-clad companion obviously noticed it anyway. Vio stumbles as they reach the cave entrance, caught by Shadow. The two boy's faces turn bright red simultaneously, and they both grin at each other goofily.

"(Shadow) *looking around* Wow, it's been quite a while. It was afternoon when I got here."

"(Vio) Speaking of time... Hey, Shadow? How long has it been since Green pulled the Four Sword out again, anyway?"

Night has fallen over Death Mountain, and the moon is out and full, though it is currently covered by a drifting wisp of cloud at the moment.

"(Shadow) ...As you've probably already guessed, Princess Zelda brought me back. She told me that she went to the Sanctuary to investigate Green's disappearance three weeks after he left Hyrule Castle, and that it took somewhere around a month to repair the Dark Mirror, so that'd make it about seven weeks or so, almost two months."

"(Vio) That long, huh? I hope the others are all right... ...Uhhh, Shadow? Hello?"

The moon is fully visible now, and Shadow stares at it silently, seemingly in some kind of trance. Vio waves his hand in front of the red-eyed boy's face, and he shakes his head, snapping out of it.

"(Shadow) Oh!! *startled* Sorry, dunno why I zoned out like that all of a sudden... What were you saying, Vio?"

_'Why am I getting a feeling of deja vu...? Vio, and the full moon... ...Hmm. I must've hit my head when I passed out after realizing my ribs were broken or something. It's probably just me.'_

Vio repeats what he said a moment ago for Shadow.

"(Shadow) Don't worry, I'm sure they're out there somewhere! You four are really hard to kill; I would know!"

They both laugh at this, remembering how frustrated Shadow had been when Vio had reunited with the others and Red got his Four Sword back.

"(Vio) Well, you've definitely got a point there. Hey, come to think of it, how did you manage to find me, anyway?"

"(Shadow) The Triforce of Courage guided me. I asked it to tell me where to go in my head, then your piece glowed and I saw a mental image of this cave. I recognized Death Mountain right away, so it was pretty easy from there..."

"(Vio) Well then, let's try that. Maybe it'll show us where one of the others is, right?"

"(Shadow) Right. It's definitely worth a shot, and the only lead we have right now, after all."

Both boys close their eyes and silently ask the Triforce of Courage to show them where to go. They are immediately shown a confusing jumble of colors and images, seeming to be three scenes all interposed over one another. Two pairs of eyes, one red and one violet, snap open, confused and dizzy.

"(Shadow) Wh-what the?!"

"(Vio) Uh, maybe we need to be more specific? It's just a hunch, but... You were thinking about me when you did it the first time, weren't you?"

Shadow's face turns bright red.

_'Thought so.'_

"(Vio) Heheh, I'll take that as a yes... Want to give it another go?"

"(Shadow) ...Uhhh... Yeah, sure. Let's try Green first."

"(Vio) And here I was thinking you'd say Red, since that kid's always getting into trouble! Why Green?"

"(Shadow) That brat Vaati mentioned him a few times."

"(Vio) All right, I guess. Wait, why not just do all three, one at a time? I feel kinda stupid for not thinking of that in the first place..."

"(Shadow) Wow, sure seems obvious when ya think of it, doesn't it! Let's do that, then. But, in what order?"

"(Vio) Hmm... Green first, maybe we'll learn more about Vaati from it. Then Red because of the tendency to be a trouble magnet that kid has, and finally Blue, who'll probably get mad at us for saving him because he's "tough." That sound good?"

"(Shadow) Perfect. I guess we can do it now, then get going in the morning. Problem is, I only have one bedroll..."

"(Vio) Oh no, you're not sleeping on the ground, so don't even bother suggesting it. I have one, too."

_'Though I wouldn't mind sharing-- **AGH!! **Focus, Vio! Don't think about it!!'_

"(Vio) *bright red* Err, let's just do this!!"

"(Shadow) Uh, okay...?"

_'What's with him? He turned bright red all of a sudden... I wonder what he was thinking about?'_

The pair tries again, this time focusing on Green. A place very familiar to them both appears in their minds' eyes, along with a bird flying past. It seems they're being shown, not a single still image, but what's occurring elsewhere right at this moment in time. Then another scene appears, of Vaati passed out in his bed, fast asleep. His palm is glowing gently with a soft green luminescence. Both boys gasp in shock and recognition, their eyes flying open as the vision fades.

"(Shadow) That was...!"

"(Vio) Sky-Tall Tower!!"

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, I've looked at my traffic, so I know people are reading this! I'm begging you, review more!! Please? *puppy dog eyes* Anyways, I'm guessing a lot of people already know why Vaati sleeps with his hat on, or at least anyone who ever played Minish Cap or read the manga version of it... Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it! I can always do with constructive criticism, ideas, suggestions, and the like, too!


	13. Chapter 12: Moonlit Promise

**A/N:** Okay, just so you know, Vio and Shadow filled each other in on what happened when the other was unconscious, and/or in Vio's case, a giant snake, on their way back to the surface. Just didn't feel like repeating myself several times... Okay, I decided to try a new format for the disclaimer and thanking other authors/authoresses on here, hope you all like it! Enjoy the story~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his.

* * *

Chapter 12: Moonlit Promise

Shadow and Vio seem to have recovered from their shock, and begin to discuss what they were just shown.

"(Vio) I wonder why we saw Vaati, and not Green..."

"(Shadow) Well, maybe it's because he has part of Green's piece of the Triforce, I guess. You saw that glow coming from his palm, right? Plus, when it showed me where you were, I saw the entrance to the cave system here on Death Mountain, not the cavern I fought you in."

Vio looks thoughtful for a moment, then grins a bit and snaps his fingers.

"(Vio) I think I've got it. We're being shown these locations in a way that we'll recognize them, like a landmark or guidepost."

Shadow nods, Vio's words making perfect sense to him.

"(Shadow) Wow, it really does make a lot more sense when ya look at it that way! Well, we don't have any way to get to the Palace of Winds right now, so let's see if we can find Red!"

"(Vio) Ri- *yaaaawn...* Uhh, heheh... Mind waiting 'til morning? Dunno 'bout you, but I'm bushed... *yawns again*"

"(Shadow) Haha, yeah, let's... *yawn* ...do that. Dangit, Vio, your yawns are... *yawns again* ...contagious!"

They both burst into a mutual giggle fit for a minute or two, then settle down to sleep under the light of the full moon, too exhausted to even set up a camp or fire.

~Meanwhile, at Zora's domain... (Ruto and Rutela's house)~

The two Zora princesses are fast asleep in their beds, which are basically water-filled bathtub-like structures with sturdy yet soft waterproof cushions, and a small, dry cushioned bed has been set up for the kitten, who has been fed, given some milk as well as water, and treated for exhaustion and a myriad of scratches all over its tiny little body from being knocked head-over-heels across the rough sand and small pebbles of Lake Hylia's shoreline so many times. Said little kitten wakes up, swishing its tail and looking dazed. Now that it's not soaking wet, more details of its appearance are apparent. It's fur is the color of flames, not just red, and its bushy, almost fox-like tail splits in two about a tenth of the way down its length from the kitten's body. A pair of blank, colorless eyes blink sleepily as the kitten looks around and notices its surroundings. It lets out a quiet, despairing meow when it realizes that this definitely isn't Lake Hylia, and curls back up dejectedly in its little bed, fast asleep again in moments.

_'...B...l...u...e...'_

~A little while later, at Death Mountain...~

"(Shadow) ...Nnnn..."

***rustle, rustle***

Shadow is moving in his sleep, and his eyelids are twitching slightly. He seems to be having a dream...

~Shadow's Dream(?)~

It's evening, and the sun is setting over a small town nestled in a valley. There's a large building near the river that flows past the town, with a sign saying that it's an orphanage. A bell starts ringing from the orphanage, signaling that it's dinner time, and children begin running in from the town and surrounding fields. A certain pair of boys comes into view, and Shadow's suddenly seeing through the eyes of one of them, the one being pulled behind a blonde boy by the hand. Both of them are wearing clothes that are old and patched up, but not ratty or filthy, and they're barefoot, but don't seem to mind.

"(blonde boy) Come on, Shadow, pick up your feet! We're gonna be late for dinner at this rate!"

"(young Shadow) I know, I know! Haha, quit pulling so hard, Vio! I'm coming, I'm coming!"

They run inside...

~later that night... (he's still dreaming)~

The moon is rising over the town. It's a full moon, and its silver light shines brightly over the landscape. Suddenly, dark clouds slip over the horizon, blotting out the sky, and a horde of monsters descends on the town from seemingly out of nowhere. Chaos reigns, and people are panicking, running away and screaming. Pretty much everyone is overcome by fear... Everyone, that is, except for the two boys.

"(young Shadow) Run, Vio! I'll hold them off so you and everyone else can get the heck outta here!"

"(young Vio) Are you crazy?! That little dagger of yours is your only weapon, you won't stand a chance!"

"(young Shadow) It's not like I'll be fighting all of them! I'm gonna go after the leader, that guy on the horse who went into the town square! I get this really bad feeling when I look at him, so he's gotta be the one leading the monsters!"

"(young Vio) But-!"

"(young Shadow) It's what Aezehl would do, and what I'm gonna do, too! And if I don't come back, don't worry about me! Even if everyone says I went off to join the monsters, I don't care! You know the truth, and that's all I need!"

"(young Vio) Come on, they don't hate you that much, Shadow!"

"(young Shadow) Aw, you don't have to lie to me, Vio. I hear all the whispers about me, too."

_"Look at his red eyes, and that pale skin! Even his hair's not normal!"_

_"He looks so scary, like a monster! And he acts like one, too!"_

_"What kinda name is Shadow? Sounds evil, don'tcha think?"_

_"I heard he chose the name himself! How weird!"_

_"Sounds **suspicious**, if you ask me..."_

"(young Vio) ...Okay. And no matter what, we'll always, always be friends!"

"(young Shadow) Yeah. Best friends forever, right?" (**A/N:** Tee hee. He said that in the manga, so now I turned it into some subconscious memory or something... XD)

"(young Vio) Right!"

They give each other a high five, then Shadow runs off, little dagger in hand. Vio stares after him, worried, but trusting in his friend. The young boy runs through the streets and back alleys of town, avoiding the monsters with surprising ease, his red eyes lit up with adrenaline and determination to succeed no matter what, to protect his friend. He comes into an alley that opens up into the town square and stops, carefully peeking around the corner to see if his target is here.

_'...! There he is! The man on the horse!'_

A Gerudo man with blazing red hair sits astride a black stallion in the center of the square. A Darknut is reporting to him at the moment.

"(Darknut) Milord, the fools barely put up a struggle. We will soon find the two you desire, I believe."

"(Gerudo man) Good. See to it, then. I sense the Triforce of Courage here, in two locations. One is close, the other fleeing. Make sure that one does not get away. As for the other... Time to come out of hiding, you little rat."

He sends a surge of dark power at the alley, destroying the entrance. Shadow gets back just in time to avoid being killed by the explosion, and uses it as cover to try to attack.

"(young Shadow) You won't get Vio, EVER!! Get out of our town!!!"

He runs at the man, dagger at the ready. The Gerudo simply laughs at the sight, and knocks Shadow head over heels with a (relatively) weak blast of magic. He then grabs the struggling boy's left hand. The back of Shadow's hand is glowing brightly, with the Triforce symbol emblazoned clearly on his skin.

"(young Shadow) L-let me **go!!**"

He attempts to stab the Gerudo with his dagger, but fails miserably.

"(Gerudo) Very brave, aren't you? Just as I expected... But this time, you 'heroes' won't be stopping me. This time, _you'll_ be destroying _yourselves_ instead of destroying _me!_ And you, little rat, are exactly what I need. You'll make the perfect _Shadow_ Hero..."

"(young Shadow) Wh-what?! What in Farore's name are you **talking** about?!"

The Gerudo, Ganondorf of course, laughs insanely and strikes Shadow with a strong surge of dark energy. The boy screams in pain, and his consciousness begins to fade, along with the Triforce symbol on his hand.

"(young Shadow) ...u-unnnh..."

"(Ganondorf) Hahahahaha... Ahahahahahaha!!!"

One last thought slips through the boy's mind as his consciousness fades into the darkness...

_'...I hope he... got away... ...Vi...o...'_

~...~

***rustle***

Shadow sits up in his bedroll, wide awake and confused by the dream(?) he just had.

"(Shadow) ...What... What _was_ that...? A dream, or..."

He shakes his head and looks up at the full moon, his eyes slightly unfocused.

"(Shadow) Nah, it couldn't be... Could it...?"

_'That dream... It felt too real to be a **dream...** It was more like... a **memory...** But... I knew Vio as a kid? We were both kids in the first place? ...Agh, I just don't get it... ...I guess I'll just go back to sleep.'_

Shadow gives up on trying to figure out what just happened and simply lays back down in his bedroll, thoughts drifting around through his mind. He turns his head and looks at Vio for a moment. The purple-clad Hylian is fast asleep. Shadow sighs and rubs his forehead, then closes his eyes.

_'But... If that **was** real, then... "Best friends forever..." That was... our promise...? That's why... I said that... Back then, when I was still on the side of the Darkness, and Vio pretended to be allied to it as well... ...**That's** why I said that... Now I finally know... Deep inside... I must've wanted to remember... And wanted him to remember, too... That... promise we made... ...It... still hasn't been broken, after all... I... I won't **ever** let myself... break that... promise...'_

With that last thought, a solemn vow made to himself, Shadow slips back into slumber...

* * *

**A/N:** Tee hee... Is Shadow being too sappy? I sure hope not! Please review, and no flames unless I really deserve it!


	14. Chapter 13: Two Winds

**A/N:** Okay, this chapter is pretty much all about Green and Vaati! Enjoy! Hopefully, I'll crank out the next chappy soon, too. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his.

* * *

Chapter 13: Two Winds

"(dragon) ...gr-rrr... ...rrrr..."

The strange crystal-like growth covers one of the dragon's eyes almost completely, sealing it shut. Its other eye is half closed, gazing wearily at the purple-skinned magic user who is approaching. Vaati strokes its nose, and it tries to snap at him. Its huge head slumps to the ground, exhausted even from this small effort.

"(dragon) ...rrr... rrr-grr..."

_'Please don't let me be too late...'_

Vaati begins to softly chant a spell, placing his hand just above the dragon's forehead without quite touching it. He's trying to break through the barrier made of evil magic. His palm starts to burn with an intense pain, but he stubbornly continues in spite of it, his voice, posture, and entire demeanor showing no hint of his discomfort.

"(dragon) grr-arrr... Grrr... Grrraaarrr...!!!"

Vaati finishes his spell.

***Sheeen...!***

Bright emerald light floods the room, blotting out all visibility. The dragon's growls and snarls strengthen, then begin to change, and the sound of someone panting heavily becomes audible, echoing slightly in the sudden silence. All is quiet except for the sounds of two people's harsh breathing and the sighing of the wind.

~Meanwhile...~

"(woman) ... *sighs in frustration* I had hoped he was mistaken, and that perhaps the shadow showed him an illusion of some sort, but this indeed proves it. One of those four accursed little brats has broken free of my spell!"

The woman is in a shrine-like room with an evil theme. Black marble columns line the room, more for decoration than support because the chamber has normal walls. Three crystals float above a pedestal, glowing with an eerie black luminescence even though each is vibrantly colored; one green, one blue, and one red. The red crystal glows less than the other two, and the green one's coloring is faded and grayish, as well as having a black glow far stronger than that of the other two combined. She is staring at the large gap between the blue and red crystals, in which the remains of a fourth, gleaming violet crystal float in mid-air, shattered to pieces. Not one single fragment of it glows with the eerie black light, but instead gleams gently with a warmer, more normal radiance. Sighing again, she turns to leave the room...

***Krrriiiik!***

"(woman) Hm?"

She turns back around, looking for the source of the sound. Her features contort with pure hatred as she finds it, her eyes narrowing angrily. A paper-thin crack spiderwebs across the surface of the green crystal, glowing faintly with the same gentle light as the shattered shards of the violet crystal while the rest of it glows black, albeit much more dimly than just a moment ago.

"(woman) How can this be?! He should be **dead** by now!"

_'...Wait. Vaati was with me when I cursed them, and I believed it was just a figment of my imagination then, but I thought I saw his hand bleeding out of the corner of my eye, and now a shard of that thrice-cursed Triforce of Courage has burned itself into his palm... That blasted artifact has a mind of its own, I swear! It must have been influencing my dear Vaati ever since then!'_

"(woman) ...Now I see. I am **not** going to be beaten by your little toys, foolish Goddesses! Not this time!"

~At Sky-Tall Tower...~

***haa... haa...***

A blonde boy with pointed Hylian ears lays sprawled across the floor on his back. He's the one who is panting so much. Vaati, also panting a bit, stares at him with wide eyes.

_'I knew that only his full piece could completely return him to normal, so I certainly didn't expect **this** much of a change! The most I dared hope for was that it would heal him, that the curse would stop killing him... But this... This is a "miracle," isn't it...?'_

The boy's skin tone is the same as Vio's and they look alike. They'd probably look even more alike if this boy's form was fully human, too. Tiny, delicate-looking scales adorn the tips of his ears, and larger deep green scales cover his abdomen, forming a tunic of sorts in all the shimmering, radiant colors of an emerald. His feet are reptilian, with small taloned nails, though he does have five toes per foot, and his legs are covered with a light, spread out scattering of thin scales. His tail twitches slightly, about one third the length of his legs long, and is also covered in deep green, emerald scales. A pair of thin, delicate-looking wings drape limply over his back, coming into view as he stirs, waking up, and pulls himself into a sitting position. The boy sits there, blinking in a disoriented fashion and looking around dazedly. His cornflower blue eyes are the same exact color as Vio's were before they turned purple, and as he turns his head, his bangs swish aside, revealing the crystalline growth that stores evil energy. It forms a small bump in the center of his forehead, wandering its way across his forehead towards the right side of his head, down his neck, and, becoming larger and more jagged, it forms what looks almost like a shoulder guard around his upper right arm from his shoulder to just above his elbow. His entire right arm is scaled and reptilian, and his taloned, scaly hand is five-fingered, with sharp, slightly curved claws in place of nails, just like the larger claws on his feet. His left arm, though, is fully human for the most part, with the last of the scales on it ending up on his shoulder. The Triforce symbol is on the back of his left hand, of course, which is probably why his left arm is fully human. One corner of the center segment of the Triforce of Courage glows gently with a brilliant emerald luminescence.

(**A/N**: Green has _half_ of the fragment Vaati got from Shadow, while Vaati still has the other half, though he didn't intentionally keep it. The Triforce of Courage is just doing what _it_ wants to do again.)

"(Vaati) ..."

_'What... What should I say...?'_

"(dragon boy) Ow, that hurt... It's finally over, huh? Thanks for taking care of me all this time, though I don't know your name."

"(Vaati) *startled* You were aware of what was going on around you the whole time?!"

"(dragon boy) Yeah. That crazy woman, I think she wanted to make sure I'd be miserable, so she left me awake or something. I heard you when you talked to me, too. Those growls were me trying to respond... Pretty stupid of me, huh? ^.^; "

_'Agh, I wish Vio was here... He'd definitely be able to explain it way better than that!'_

"(Vaati) Hihihi, it's quite rude of me to know your name without you knowing mine, is it not, "Green Hero"? I am Vaati, the Wind Sorcerer."

_'He heard me...? For some reason that's... somewhat embarrassing...'_

"(Green) Uh, that's Gufuu."

Vaati stares at him for a moment, completely silent, then suddenly bursts into laughter, and poor Green of course has no clue why.

_'All five of them are surprisingly alike in some of the ways they think! ...Or perhaps there are six of them now, what with the appearance of that mystery boy in white...'_

"(Green) *confused!* What's so funny?"

"(Vaati) Hihi... Someone else said that too, though he was a bit more rude. A red-eyed "Hero" clad in gray... Hihihi... In other words, Shadow Link... *still laughing a bit*"

"(Green) What?! You've seen Shadow?! But how? He's- ...!"

Vaati and Green both sense something, and the purple-skinned youth recognizes it instantly, his right palm burning fiercely.

_'Why is part of it still there? ...No time to think about that. That presence... How did she find out so **quickly?!** It's only been a minute or two since I finished the spell and stopped the curse from doing him any more harm!'_

The black gauntlet is covering Vaati's right hand in the blink of an eye, and his expression is dead serious.

"(Vaati) She's here. I don't know how she could have found out so quickly, or the extent of what she knows, but I shall do my best to distract her, to stall for time so that you may escape. Stay as far out of sight as you can, and get away from here as soon as you see an opening."

"(Green) What are you talking about? I'm no coward, and there's no way I'm abandoning you here to fight all alone! It's stupid! Stupider than even one of Blue's bad ideas!"

Vaati lets out a bitter, self-mocking laugh.

"(Vaati) Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not at all what I seem to be. I'm no hero like you or the other four, nor am I even Hylian."

His tone becomes distant as he stares into space, reminiscing about the past.

"(Vaati) A long time ago, I was entranced by the evil in the hearts of humans, and in the false power I saw there. Bullies had control over those weaker than them; they almost always got their way through fear and brute force. Watching these things, I began to think that the only way to be 'strong' was to be 'bad'. I stole my old master's magic wishing cap and used its power to go from being a tiny Minish to the form you see now. I did many horrible things, though my memory is still a bit unclear in places. People like me aren't worth your compassion, worry, or pity. I don't deserve your help."

"(Green) Huh?"

_'What's a "Minish?" And is he saying he's a bad guy? But, he doesn't seem like one... He's not evil, just... sad. He seems to be really sad about something... But what? And why? And his memory is still unclear...? Does that mean he has partial amnesia or something?'_

The confusion on Green's face is highly evident, and Vaati sighs, easily able to guess what he's confused about, or at least part of it.

"(Vaati) I believe you Hylians know my kind, the Minish, by another name: the Picori."

"(Green) Oh... Wait, I thought the Picori were just a myth!"

"(Vaati) They are quite real, I assure you. Look, just escape this place at the first chance you get. Don't worry about my safety; she isn't likely to kill or curse me anyway since she believes me to be her loyal servant."

"(Green) But-!"

Vaati turns away from Green, facing the door. He summons a barrier of wind between himself and the half-dragon, half-Hylian boy with a wave of his hand and begins to walk towards the exit. He turns back towards Green when he reaches the doorway.

"(Vaati) She's very close now. The time for talk is over. Farewell, _Green_."

(**A/N:** This is the first time Vaati actually refers to Green by his name, so I put some emphasis on it. It just seemed to fit somehow...)

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry about the odd place where I ended this, I didn't want the chapter to stretch on too long. Plus, I also wanted to keep it somewhat focused on Green and Vaati. I wonder if anyone's guessed who the mysterious woman is yet? She's a boss from one of the Legend of Zelda games, and her identity will be revealed in the next chapter... Did anyone understand/get confused by the chapter title? Well, if you have questions, comments, and/or ideas, that's what reviews are for! So click on that button, please?? Please review, and no flames unless I really deserve it!


	15. Chapter 14: Sorcerer and Sorceress

**A/N:** Hello again~! In this chapter, the mysterious woman's identity is revealed! Tee hee~... Enjoy! ....Augh, how could I have forgotten this for so long?! Shadow's siganture item/weapon is **_bombs!!_** X.x; I had to split this chapter because it was getting huge, by the way, so more is on the way...

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 14: Sorcerer and Sorceress

"(Green) Wait!!"

Green tries to get past the wind wall, but can't. (**A/N:**The barrier weakens over time, though...) Vaati leaves the room and heads down the stairs, exiting Sky-Tall Tower. (**A/N:**These are the stairs Shadow used in the manga when he was on his way to break the Dark Mirror.) As he waits at their base, the mysterious woman soon comes into view, heading towards him. She has blue-green skin, slightly clawed hands, and one visible eye, which is red. Orange-red hair descends in a diagonal spike from her odd, scythe-shaped navy blue headpiece/hat, covering one of her eyes. She wears a somewhat revealing maroon armor top that shows her shapely stomach and the tops of her breasts, as well as wrapping around her neck like a collar, with large shoulders that have aqua designs on them and navy blue spike attachments on her elbows. A cape-like cloth attaches to the tips of the spikes and hangs behind her legs. A long white skirt that completely covers her feet and trails out behind her in an almost ghost-like manner hugs her form, with a wide navy blue section in the middle of the white that has a lighter blue symbol looking a bit like an eye that's been rotated so that it's vertical instead of horizontal on it. Maroon armor in the same color as her top fits over the skirt and follows the shape of each of her hips, arranged in three overlapping sections on either side. Her lips are either black or she's just wearing black lipstick, and she's much taller than Vaati. All in all, her appearance gives off the feeling of a twisted, dangerous beauty, and is obviously more than a little bit sinister. Vaati's mask is back in place as he mentally prepares himself for the challenge of trying to trick her. He bows, feigning ignorance.

"(Vaati) Milady, what brings you here?"

She isn't fooled.

"(woman) My dear little Wind Mage, I know your secret. That accursed Triforce has taken control of you in order to safeguard those four pesky little brats and their shadow, and I intend to free you from it. That piece belongs to the one that looks and acts so much like _him_, does it not?"

"(Vaati) To be frank, I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Milady."

She laughs.

"(woman) You can't lie to me, my dear. I already know my curse on him has weakened."

"(Vaati) Milady, the Triforce fragment has no control over my actions. Why would I betray you in such a way? I am your loyal servant, as you already know."

_'So, she thinks it's controlling me, hm? Hihihi... Let her think that. It truly does have no control over me... I am doing this because I **want** to do it, you scum! You could never understand!'_

"(woman) Move aside, my dear little Vaati. The simplest way to free you is obviously to kill that brat, as I should have done in the first place."

"(Vaati) ...!"

_'I swear by the Goddesses, I will **not** let you get your wish, 'Milady'! This is all my fault in the for doing nothing from the Sanctuary, from letting you have your way then! I will **not** let him die, not as long as I can stop you!'_

She begins to advance towards Vaati, and he immediately removes the gauntlet, enduring the sheer agony coursing through his palm and up his arm in order to deny her passage. Half of the triangular burn glows a fierce, raging emerald in response to her presence. The force coming from it is intensely powerful, and very, **very**painful. Vaati drops the calm act, looking determined and a bit angry. He is no longer acting, but is instead showing his true feelings, though the woman believes that this is the Triforce talking, not Vaati himself.

"(Vaati) You are **not** getting past me! No matter what you do to me, I will not allow it!!"

She sighs, looking regretful.

"(woman) I see it has full control over you, then. I had _hoped_ to avoid violence, but if you won't obey me, I **will** hurt you."

_'Grrr... That thrice-damned power is always getting in my way! I **HATE** it!'_

The woman's mood is quickly worsening in response to the Triforce of Courage, and whatever attack she ends up using will probably be very harsh as a result. Vaati's palm starts to blister, literally burning, but he grits his teeth and ignores it as best he can.

"(Vaati) I don't care, and I **won't** budge, not a single inch."

"(woman) Very well, your choice seems clear to me. I will show no mercy, as this is for your own good, my dear rebellious little Wind Mage."

Vaati screams as she lashes out at him with whips made of a crackling black energy, leaving thin, bloody lines across the skin of his limbs and lower body as he shields his face and chest with his arms. She then 'grabs' him with one of the whips, violently slamming the unresisting youth into the staircase, which crumbles a bit from the force of the impact. Bruised and bloody; as well as probably having at least one bruised or broken bone; but still determined, he gets back up and continues to block her path, his ruby gaze completely unafraid to the point where it's somewhat unnerving to the woman for a moment.

"(Vaati) Hit me all you like, it won't change a thing. Your power doesn't scare me, _Veran_. This pain is less than nothing compared to certain... past experiences of mine."

"(Veran) Ha! A partial amnesiac such as yourself shouldn't talk so tough, my dear! Don't worry, that fearless attitude of yours will surely be long gone by the end of this! You can blame that accursed artifact for that afterwards since you're not in control of yourself at the moment, but I'm still not pulling any punches until this is over with, little Vaati!"

Veran's mood seems to have improved almost instantly... She's **definitely **a sadist. Grinning evilly and caught up in the sick glee of exercising her specialty, torture, she starts pummeling Vaati with countless spheres of the same crackling black energy the whips are made of, following up with even more whipping. Blood drips freely from Vaati's right hand. His skin is crisscrossed with countless thin lines of blood from the whips, as well as already showing signs of bruising, his skin darkening towards an odd dark gray-purple in some places and a very ugly black in others. He holds his stomach, the breath knocked out of him, and picks himself up off the floor for a second time. The purple-skinned youth wobbles on his feet and promptly collapses back into a sitting position in a matter of moments, hitting the ground hard.

"(Veran) Yield, Vaati! The fact that you still do not fight back is a clear indicator that you have managed to retain some of your true self rather than let that blasted Triforce have full use of your body and power, so get ahold of yourself and stop this nonsense!"

"(Vaati) ..........."

Vaati begins to laugh hysterically the moment he catches his breath, much to Veran's surprise and confusion. Even though it obviously hurts even just to giggle, the loud peals of laughter just continue to pour out of him as he clutches his stomach and rocks back and forth slightly, completely overcome with laughter. Veran's confused and somewhat freaked out expression only serves to make him laugh harder. Eventually, he manages to get a few words out between all the laughing.

"(Vaati) No point in... wasting my strength... when I know... I won't win...! My goal here... is to not let you... get one step past me,... nothing more...!"

Veran stares at the still-laughing Wind Sorcerer as if he's gone insane, and she obviously has a strong suspicion that that is the case.

"(Veran) You have a strange, strange mind, my dear... ^.^; "

Her gaze hardens and she glares at him. She's dead serious now, and somehow seems angrier than before, in a cold, hidden-beneath-the-surface sort of way. This hidden anger quickly manifests itself out in the open as her frustration peaks.

"(Veran) Very well, if you won't come to your senses, then I'll just have to cut off your hand along _with_ the Triforce piece!"

* * *

**A/N: **So there you have it. Please review!!!! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review!!!! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*


	16. Chapter 15: Prelude to the Storm

**A/N:** ...Ummmmm.... Enjoy?

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 15: Prelude to the Storm

"(Veran) Very well, if you won't come to your senses, then I'll just have to cut off your hand along _with_ the Triforce piece!"

Veran violently yanks Vaati into the air, a magic whip coiled tightly around his right arm and instantly drawing blood. Her magic whips have revealed themselves to be sharp as razors, a very brutal weapon, and seemingly her tool of choice. As he hangs suspended in midair by his arm, she glares maliciously at his glowing, bleeding, heavily burned palm with an intense hatred for the item within, preparing to cut it off.

***B-bmp!***

_'A-all of a sudden...! Dizzy again...!'_

That same image from before flashes through Vaati's mind, still appearing and disappearing too quickly for him to make out any kind of detail. This time, though, it's accompanied by a voice that only he can hear. It is much deeper than his own, yet somehow eerily similar, and he suddenly feels a bit more alert as a significant amount of the haze caused by Veran's torture, his own emotions, and the burning Triforce fragment is lifted from his thoughts as it echoes through his pain-fogged mind. The purple-skinned sorcerer's eyes widen unconsciously, and something about him looks a bit... _odd_ for a split second, too fast to catch...

**_"(???) You've already been hurt more than enough, you reckless, masochistic imbecile! Fight back!"_**

(**A/N:** This will only make sense to you, **Dea Letum**, but I'll say it anyway~! "Fight back the darkness," right? ;) )

A sudden strong blast of wind knocks Veran back and breaks her concentration, releasing Vaati, who falls to the ground with a thud. The sorceress spots a twitching, reptilian tail peeking out from behind a corner up on the staircase, and screams at this intruder who has just partially come into view. Meanwhile, Vaati is lying on the ground in a slight daze, drained, barely conscious, and unsure whether the voice in his head that seemed to take control of him was even real or not.

"(Veran) Show yourself!"

She sends a brutal whip of evil energy towards where she saw the tail, smashing part of the staircase.

"(Green) Too slow!"

Green jumps down from the stairs and lands in a crouch next to Vaati, easily dodging Veran's attack.

"(Vaati) *whispering* Wh-what are you... **doing**...?! I told you... to get **out** of here...!"

Green whispers back, grinning conspiratorially.

"(Green) I _am_ getting out of here, but so are _you!_"

He looks at Veran, raising his voice and flashing a cocky grin at her.

"(Green) Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm taking him with me!"

Green pulls Vaati upright with his human left hand, careful to make it _look_ rough, but actually be quite gentle, as the purple-skinned youth is already wounded more than enough without Green making it worse on accident. The exhausted Wind Sorcerer leans heavily against him, too weak to stand properly and barely conscious. However, from Veran's point of view, it looks like Green simply yanked Vaati up, causing the youth to lose his balance and stumble right into the half-dragon boy's grip. The boy is surprisingly good at acting, as Veran is completely fooled, growling dangerously at him, her voice full of a deadly intent.

"(Veran) Why you...! *positively enraged*"

Green whispers in Vaati's ear.

"(Green) Struggle! Act like I'm kidnapping you!"

"(Vaati) ...!"

He understands what the boy is getting at and struggles weakly in his grip. He's quickly approaching his limit though, and looks ready to pass out at any moment.

"(Vaati) L-let... go...! Let me... go...!"

Green quickly wraps his somewhat armored right arm around Vaati's torso and lifts him off the ground in one smooth, fluid motion, then gently taps him on the head with his left hand while making it look like a hit meant to knock Vaati out. Green's right arm seems to have retained not only the _form_ of a dragon, but its strength as well, the mage seeming light as a feather to him. Green's timing was perfect, as Vaati slips into unconsciousness an instant after the head tap. Green tenses his legs, having an instinctive knowledge of how to move in this form, and takes off, hovering an inch or so off the ground, his wings flapping slowly to retain his position as he stares Veran down, daring her to try and stop him.

"(Veran) Why you... Why you little **brat!** You're **just** like _him_; always getting in my **way!** I should have just killed you back in the Sanctuary when I had the chance instead of using a curse!"

He laughs and flashes a cheeky, annoying grin at her, infuriating the sorceress even more.

"(Green) Well, it _was_ killing me, but it sure isn't _now!_ Better luck next time, Miss Crazy!"

"(Veran) Grrr! You little...! ... *has a sly, calculating smile on her face all of a sudden*"

_'Wait. Perhaps I can use this to my advantage... All I have to do is strengthen the curse to the level it was at within the purple brat's body... He won't be able to fight my power forever, and when he falls, there is a high probability that he will have reunited with the purple brat and that freak of nature shadow of theirs... Three birds with one stone, and, more importantly, my sweet, sweet **revenge!**'_

"(Green) ..."

_'I have a bad feeling about this...'_

Green carefully tightens his grip on Vaati, then flaps his wings harder, beginning his escape. However, he's a second too late, as Veran has an idea and she's ready to implement it. Sultry, sadistic laughter echoes through the Palace of Winds as Veran's insane, revenge-obsessed gaze focuses on Green, his appearance slightly overlaid by that of another green-clad boy holding an odd-looking harp. (**A/N:** XD ...I decided to go on Wikipedia just to refresh my memory about the Oracle of Ages game from which Veran comes. The title by which she calls herself in the line below this comes from that, too.)

"(Veran) I am Veran, Sorceress of Shadows! How dare you underestimate me! Do you really think you can just leave, fool? You're not getting away _that_ easily, brat. Not without a bit more... **_suffering,_** that is! Ahahahaha!"

"(Green) ...!"

Veran shoots a concentrated beam of evil energy at the pair, laughing maniacally as she does so. With no time to dodge, Green quickly turns and shields Vaati with his body, taking the full force of the attack.

_'Just as I expected, he's just as much of a goody-two-shoes as **him!** Turning to take the hit and keep Vaati from getting hurt... That fool doesn't even realize that Vaati is more resistant to magic than he is in the first place! Protecting others, helping others, what's the point?! **Power** and **pain**, that's all that matters! These stupid heroes are so easy to attack because they put others' safety before themselves! It's so idiotic, and just as predictable! The perfect weakness for me to exploit!'_

"(Green) Aaaargh!!!"

Pure agony shoots through his system and he screams, tensing up instantly. He begins to fall through the air in a barely-controlled dive back down to Hyrule, in too much pain to fly properly. He doesn't worry about it though, since the Palace of Winds is **very** high up, so he'll have to do this to get back to Hyrule anyway. Veran laughs even harder and calls out one last taunt as he disappears into the clouds below.

"(Veran) How _pathetic!_ Your foolish sense of 'justice' will be your doom, brat! Just you wait and see, I _will_ have my revenge! After all, since I cannot punish _him_, then I will just have to make do with you four and your shadow, five of his descendants! Ahahahaha!"

Green doesn't respond, though he _did_ hear her, instead focusing on getting away alive and not giving in to her magic. The Triforce is helping him, of course, but he won't last forever...

_'What? Descendants? Is this crazy lady ancient or something? ...Wait. This "him" she keeps referring to, she thinks I'm descended from him? That all five of us are? All right, I'd better make sure I get this all straight and remember it so I can tell the others. She called herself "Veran, Sorceress of Shadows," and she has a grudge on someone who looked and acted a lot like me, someone from the past... It feels like a really big clue, but I can't make any sense of it. I bet Vio would know something, or at least know where to look to find out... He **is** the 'smart one,' after all! ...Ugh, her magic's **strong**... I don't know how long I can hold out, but I can't give into it, not as long as I can still fight!'_

"(Green) ...Where are you guys...? I have to find you... But where do I start? The Four Sword isn't resonating..."

_'...Wait. Vaati said he'd seen Shadow...! That means he's definitely out there somewhere! But where would he go? Hmm... Instead of trying to guess, I'll just head for Hyrule Field. You need to pass through there to get to most of the places in and around Hyrule, after all! Oh, wait. It's nighttime!! Stupid, stupid, stupid! With my luck, I'd just crash into a tree or something! And I don't think I'll be able to stay in the air all night... I need to find somewhere close by, so I can land, help Vaati, and rest until morning.'_

Green breaks through the cloud cover and flaps his wings to slow down and eventually hover, his eyes widening as he's greeted by the beautiful silver-coated view of Hyrule at night. Searching for a place to land, he spots a reddish glow off in the distance and heads toward it. Though he doesn't realize it, this light he's using as a guide is the red-hot lava of Death Mountain...

~Meanwhile...~

_**'Slowly but surely, I am getting stronger... That Sorceress, though... She is a threat, I can feel it. If I had not intervened when I did, she really WOULD have cut his hand off. Especially with how damned masochistic he seems to be... ^.^; And now, the curse tainting that kid's body fills me with a strong sense of foreboding...'**_

**_"(???) Hihihi... This situation possesses such a beautiful sense of irony... What with that kid now being in danger of losing himself to that insane power of hers..."_**

A deep, low-pitched laugh echoes through the darkness...

**_"(???) Oh, such irony indeed! "Courage" falls into chaos, and "Power" will be the one waiting in the wings to stop it! This time, the one that always destroys the balance will be the one to help restore it rather than ruin it, and do so willingly! Hihihi!"_**

* * *

**A/N:** Just who could this strange voice that's apparently in Vaati's head be, hmm? *cough cough* Those who already know, please don't forget and spoil it! ...Aaaanyway, the only hint I'll give is that it isn't Ganondorf. Please review!!!! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review!!!! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes* ....keep reading for some funnies, I guess?

~In Nira Rose's secret base~

"*cuddling several plushies and squeeing quietly with joy* Teehee, Veran fails~! XD"

"(Veran) ... *vein twitches on forehead*"

"...?! Wh-where'd you come from?! ( *gulp!* I'm sooo dead... T_T )"

"(Veran) How DARE you let that brat escape me!!! Authoress or not, for that you shall PAY!!!"

"C-come on, I let you get a hit in!! D-don't kill me, please?"

"(Veran) Give me one reason why I shouldn't. (...This is bound to be good...)"

"*whispers something in Veran's ear* ................."

"(Veran) ...! ...Hmm... ...Fine, you win this time. After all, you _did _let me do some torturing... *eeeeeevil smile* next time, though, it had better be Green and not my dear little Wind Mage... *leaves peacefully*"

"...Whew... That was close... ^.^; And quit being a pedo, Veran! He's still a kid in Minish years!"

"(Veran) *calls over her shoulder on her way out* That makes it even _better_... *reeeeeaaaalllyyyy evil smile*"

"...Umm, okay then...? I think I'm going to blank that comment from my mind now... Sheesh... First I hide from Shadow and Vio fans, and now I got Veran mad and have to deal with her Vaati complex... And for all I know the Green and Vaati fans could be super mad at me by now, too.... Oh and, don't worry, she won't remember this stuff during the story, my Authoress powers prevent it. After all, this was just for fun, and a slight hidden almost-spoiler but not really that spoiler-ish... Well, anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and weren't bored by this long Authoress'es Note~!"


	17. Chapter 16: Bloody Moon, Silver Moon

**A/N:** Here ya go, next chappy coming right up! I guess I'm on a roll again, huh? Umm, the previous chapter's title will probably make more sense in a chapter or two, don't worry! Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 16: Bloody Moon, Silver Moon

Shadow is sleeping soundly at this point, his rest surprisingly free of nightmares despite the traumatic events that occurred in the underground cavern.

***rustle, rustle***

Vio turns over in his bedroll, his eyelids fluttering the tiniest bit. Looks like it's his turn to be dreaming now...

_**-Vio's (first) dream-**_

Vio runs through a forest, all alone and very scared. It's his younger self, the same boy he was in the memory of himself and Shadow playing in a meadow, though a little bit older. The full moon shines down from the sky, its normally gentle silver light stained an ominous red. Screams of pain and terror mix with the fierce cries and howls of monsters, echoing through the night in a sick, twisted melody of chaos and death... The blood-colored moon is suddenly foremost in his senses, dominating the dreamscape, a submerged memory nagging at him before the dream fades and he slips into another.

_**-second (main) dream-**_

"(young Vio) *haa... haa...* Wh-where are you?! P-please, come out!!"

The young blonde runs through the ruins that used to be a small town, desperately searching for someone.

"(young Vio) Come on, Shadow!! The monsters are gone, and we all got away because of you! You can stop hiding now!! Please!! Shadow!!!!!"

He continues his search until he collapses. When he comes to, he sees the concerned faces of a boy and girl from the orphanage leaning over him. A teenaged boy from the orphanage leans against a nearby wall, keeping watch in case more monsters show up.

"(young Vio) Wha...? ...Oh, I must've passed out again..."

Vio sits up and the boy hands him half a loaf of bread.

"(boy) Here. You need to eat, Vi." (**A/N:** I decided to make it so that everyone in the orphanage other than Shadow called Vio "Vi." Dunno why.)

"(young Vio) Thanks, but I'm not-"

"(boy) And don't you go saying you're not hungry again, you've barely been eating anything for days!"

"(girl) L-look, I know this is hard for you since he was your friend, but... It's been a week! If he was still here, he would've shown up by now!!"

"(boy) *sigh...* Face it, Vi. He's gone..."

The teen looks up and spits at the ground, sneering a bit.

"(teen) Hmph. And good riddance to 'im. The little demon finally went back to his own kind, the monsters. You should be happy for him."

"(young Vio) Why you...!"

"(girl) Uh oh... He's starting _that_ again..."

"(boy) Don't be so cruel, man! His diversion saved us all!"

"(teen) More like the monsters wanted him in the first place, dweeb. Anyways, what's the matter, nerd? Angry? What are you going to do about it, hit me with your _book?_ Hahaha!"

"(young Vio) *suddenly gets a sly, malevolent grin on his face* ...Something like that."

Vio slams the hard corner of his book into the older boy's stomach and punches him in the face while he's winded.

"(teen) Why you little brat!!"

He grabs Vio's arm as the enraged boy tries to punch him again and shoves him into a nearby tree. Vio gets up and goes to run at him as fast as he can, but his foot catches on a large tree root that seemingly came out of nowhere.

***KRAK!!***

"(young Vio) AAAAAGH!!!"

A sickening snap splits the air, and everyone but Vio looks shocked. He on the other hand just looks like he's about to be sick. His foot lays twisted at an unnatural angle on the ground, his ankle badly broken.

_'How did a root do **this**...?!'_

"Mweheheh!"

"(all) ?!!"

The 'tree' is a plant-type monster that had been hiding here on Ganondorf's orders to attempt to capture the second bearer of the Triforce of Courage, but these kids obviously don't know that, of course. It grabs Vio with a spindly arm branch, holding him up and inspecting him.

"(monster) Looks like I caught me a kiddie! Mweheheh! Let's hear you scream again, kiddie!"

***CRUNCH!!!***

It mercilessly breaks Vio's arm and simultaneously crushes his foot, breaking every single bone in it and fracturing his ankle even more in the process. He screams even louder this time, blood spurting out of his lower leg like a fountain and dyeing the lower part of the tree monster's trunk red. The boy and girl look sick and horrified, and the teen looks positively enraged, screaming at the monster.

"(teen) You filthy piece of _scum!!_ Get out of our town!!!"

The older boy pulls out a carpenter's saw, a practical tool and potentially lethal weapon all in one.

"(teen) You two, run! You have to get help! I'll get Vi away from that thing! Go!!"

They do as they're told, and flee. He grits his teeth, glaring at the monster that holds the younger boy captive. Vio is bleeding from his ankle and his arm, as well as having multiple scratches from the tree monster's rough, bristly limbs.

"(monster) Mweheheheheh! What do you think that's going to do, brat?! You think you can stop me?!"

"(teen) Well, _duh._ You're a _tree._"

The older boy says this matter-of-factly, as if there's an obvious reason why his opponent being a plant-type monster will make this an easy fight somehow. Vio, not one to give up without a fight, begins to struggle in the monster's grip.

"(young Vio) You... won't... get me... _that..._ easily...!"

***sheeen...***

Vio's hand begins to glow, and the monster grins, its eyes widening. The teenaged boy is gawking at Vio's hand, his jaw dropped.

"(teen) What the?! Vi, your _hand!_ You- You have the _**Triforce Symbol**_ on your _hand!!_"

"(young Vio) I... I wh-what...?!!"

"(monster) Ooh, how lucky~! My first little prey just so happens to be the boy my Master wants! Don't struggle, it's useless! Anyway, if you come with me, you'll be reunited with your friend, the fiesty boy with the purple hair and red eyes! You'd like that, wouldn't you? I'll even let you say hi, as long as you don't shine any light on him! Mweheheh, Master would be very angry with me if I accidentally killed off his little "Shadow Hero" before his will's even broken! Mweheh!"

"(young Vio) Y-you...! What did you... do... to Shadow...?!"

"(teen) ...! That demon kid was targeted by the monsters, but not because he's one of them...?!! Augh, I feel sick with myself... Hey, tree freak! You sure as heck aren't takin' Vi with you, and you're gonna tell us where you took that other kid you're talking about!"

"(monster) Mweeeh?!! Yaaaarg!!!"

The teen expertly slices off the arm branch holding Vio with the skill of someone who's been working with wood all his life, which he has. He grins as he gets Vio a safe distance away and winks at him conspiritorially.

"(teen) Looks like being the carpenter's apprentice sure comes in handy, eh? Sorry 'bout what I said about our town's resident demon boy, Vi. He _is_ kinda scary, after all. Now, let me take care of this creep for ya as an apology."

"(young Vio) Th-thanks..."

"(teen) No problem. Now, as for this scum... *evil glare*"

**_-several minutes of sheer unadulterated violence against all things wooden later...-_**

"(monster) I-I give! I give!! D-don't... don't make me into firewood!! I-I'll tell you what you want to know!!"

"(teen) Good. Now, where is he?"

"(monster) ...Mweheh... Mweheheh... Does it really matter? He's been cursed, after all."

"(young Vio) Wh-what...?!!"

"(monster) Mweheh... The look on your face is priceless, kiddie. He's been _cursed._ My Master used his power on him to make him into a _shadow_ and keep him from ever being a threat to us. If this crazy tree-killer wasn't here, you would probably have had the same fate as him. That kiddie can never live in the light again. If he tries, he _dies!_ Mweheheh! And now it's _your_ turn to cry, just like he did when he heard about Master's orders to us to capture or kill you! Mwe-! AAAAGH!!!!!!!"

The carpenter's apprentice chops the monster up into toothpick-sized pieces, then kneels down next to Vio, who appears to be in shock, trying to console him. The tree monster's words echo in the boy's head as their meaning begins to fully sink in, and he appears to be at least partially in shock.

_"...**Shadow Hero**..."_

_"...before his **will's **even **broken**..."_

_"...he's been** cursed**, after all..."_

_"...a** threat** to us..."_

_"...a **shadow**..."_

_"...now it's your turn to** cry**, just like he did..."_

_"...Master's orders to **capture **or **kill** you..."_

_"...can **never live in the light** again..."_

_"...if he **tries**, he **dies**..."_

"(teen) Uh oh..."

_'He's white as a sheet, and shaking like a leaf! And he's lost a lot of blood, too... This doesn't look good. Whatever happens, I can't let him pass out, especially not in this state! Come on, Vi, snap out of it!'_

"(teen) Come on, Vi, pull yourself together! There's nothing at all to prove that any of what that plant freak said was true, ya hear?!"

Vio doesn't respond, he just sits there shaking, his eyes dilated.

_'Shadow's been cursed... He can't live in the light ever again... If he tries to, he'll die... ...He'll **die**...!!'_

All of this is _way_ too much for Vio to handle, especially since he's so young. He throws his head back and screams, tears streaming down his face like a flood all the while.

"(young Vio) ....Ah.... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

_**-Back on Death Mountain-**_

"(Vio) AAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Vio sits straight up, wide awake. His eyes are dilated and he's panting heavily, feeling as if his heart is trying to pound its way out of his chest from how fast it's beating. Shadow rolls over in his bedroll, woken up by Vio's scream, and looks at him, blinking sleepily. His voice is somewhat slurred because he's only half awake at this point.

"(Shadow) What the... Vio, you okay...? *yawn...* What's... the matter...?"

"(Vio) ...It's nothing. I just... had a bad dream, is all. I'm fine."

"(Shadow) Oh... *yawn...* Still night... should prob'ly... try an'... sleep... s'more... ...Zzzz..."

"(Vio) ...Yeah..."

The gray-clad boy is fast asleep again in moments. Vio stays awake, staring at the moon with a far-away look in his eyes. He puts a hand to his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Something is bothering him, a forgotten memory stirring in the depths of his mind. A faint headache pulses in the back of his skull, but he ignores it, trying to remember.

_'Those dreams... That odd feeling of deja vu I had when I 'joined' the evil side in the forest; when I saw Shadow up at the top of that tree with the moon behind him... It was a full moon that night, and his red eyes almost seemed to glow. It was creepy, and for a moment I could've sworn I saw the moon turn red, but I think it was just my imagination. ...Wait. The full moon, and the color red... Shadow was all spaced out before, staring at the **full moon**...'_

"(Vio) Grrr... What was it...?! Something happened on a night when the moon was full... And it was related to Shadow in some way... But _**what**_...?! What am I still forgetting...?!"

The conversation that occurred just before Vio fought Green on Death Mountain plays through his mind, focusing in on a certain comment from Shadow.

_"Best friends forever, right?"_

His eyes snap wide open as another, eerily similar scene plays through his mind.

_"...Okay. And no matter what, we'll always, always be friends!"_

_"Yeah. Best friends forever, right?"_

_"Right!"_

The memories come back in a rush as Vio remembers the night his hometown was attacked by monsters and Shadow disappeared. He's wide awake at this point, and much too tense to have any chance of falling back to sleep. Vio gets out of his bedroll and leans against the side of Death Mountain, sitting down in a silent vigil of sorts. The boy closes his eyes, beginning the tedious process of making sense of the strange dreams and fragments of memories he's been having since the Four Sword was drawn from its resting place once more.

"(Vio) ...Haha, no wonder I'm so reserved and self-possessed... I must've retreated into myself after the trauma of that event. It also explains why my foot's so sensitive... Stupid tree... Pretty ironic for me to be Earth element, then, huh...? It still... suits me, though... Heheh... *yawn...*"

He heaves a weary sigh and returns to his thoughts. The silver moon shines down over the peaceful scene, its gentle light a soothing comfort for the purple-clad hero. Lulled into drowsiness by the moonlight and his own exhaustion, Vio dozes off, a small smile on his face...

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** And there you have it! Am I going too fast with the memory thing? ...Aaaaanyway... Please review!!!! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review!!!! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*


	18. Chapter 17: An Uneasy Reunion

**A/N:** Sorry I took so long... Christmas is already over, and I couldn't even make a new chapter in time! That would've been a good gift... Well, I guess it's a bit late, but I hope you'll accept this chappy as a Christmas present from this overly hyper LoZ fan! (...that's me, of course...)

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 17: An Uneasy Reunion

High in the skies above Death Mountain, Green's left hand begins to glow, and so does Vaati's right hand. Said Wind Mage stirs, beginning to wake up.

_'Ugh, my whole body aches... ...Wait, where...? ...Oh, right... Green... Even though I didn't deserve it, and **still** don't deserve it, he saved me... But because he did, he's been hurt again... ...I guess... I really **do** only cause pain...'_

Green doesn't notice that Vaati's awake, too busy trying to stay in the air and keep control over himself. Veran's magic is getting harder and harder to fight against as time goes on, and its exhausted target obviously can't hold out much longer.

***throb!***

"(Green) Argh!!"

Vaati wearily cracks one ruby-red eye open, making an effort to turn his head to look up at Green's face. The dragon boy's cornflower blue eyes are squeezed shut in pain and his left hand is clamped tightly over his right arm. Vaati notices the glow on the back of said hand and realizes that his right palm is throbbing gently.

"(Green) *haa... haa...* Ugh..."

Green's face is drawn and pale, and he looks very strained. Vaati decides to reveal the fact that he's awake to his rescuer by speaking up.

"(Vaati) ...G-Green."

"(Green) You awake?"

Green immediately tries to hide his condition, failing miserably. Vaati lets out a weak chuckle at the boy's stubbornness, then is once again serious. Green seems confused the moment the purple-skinned youth laughs, then startled at what he says next.

"(Vaati) Green... Look at your hand..."

"(Green) Huh? ...! Ah!! I-it's... glowing!!"

_'Then... The Four Sword wasn't resonating... because it didn't **need** to! I was... I was lready on the right track from the start!'_

"(Vaati) ...Two of your... friends are there... On Death Mountain... One is... your shadow... Hihi... Can you guess... who the second... is...?"

_'Well, DUH. Their obvious mutual crush has been plain as day since the first time I climbed Death Mountain! It's gotta be him!'_

"(Green) *matter-of-fact* It's _definitely_ Vio."

They both simultaneously roll their eyes without realizing it.

"(both) Lovebirds."

They look at each other for a moment, then laugh a bit.

"(Vaati) Yes... It's him..."

"(Green) Of course it would be him, since Shado--"

A huge bolt of sheer torturous agony suddenly tears through Green's system, much more intense than any of the ones before it.

"(Green) AAAAARGH!!!"

"(Vaati) ...! (...uh oh...)"

Green stiffens as every single muscle in his body locks up, his eyes rolling back in his head as his consciousness goes white. The two begin to plummet towards Death Mountain in a completely uncontrolled fall. Vaati quickly works his arms free of Green's unconscious-but-still-firm grip, then closes his eyes and focuses, gathering and focusing all of the magic power he has left at the moment into his hands and waiting for the right moment to use it. About fifty or so feet above the ground, Vaati unleashes his power, sending an almost tornado-level blast of wind straight down to slow their fall by creating a cushion of air. They are now about fifteen feet up, and the exhausted and heavily wounded youth is at his limit.

"(Vaati) Ugh..."

_'Can't... hang on... any... longer...!'_

The wind blast falters, dissipating, and gravity once more takes control of the situation as Vaati passes out, spent.

_**-Meanwhile-**_

***Thump!***

"(Vio) Wha...?!"

Vio snaps awake and hits his head on the rock face he was leaning against.

"(Vio) $%&#!!!"

Shadow blearily cracks one eye open at the stream of muffled profanities coming from his irritated friend who is currently rubbing the fresh bump on the back of his head.

"(Shadow) Whazzat...? Whuz... goin on...?"

Vio grins sheepishly at his half-asleep companion, still rubbing his head.

"(Vio) Wake up, Shadow. I just heard a loud noise nearby, and... Huh?"

The back of Vio's hand is glowing with a deep purple light, while Shadow's hand glows with bright silver and faint emerald.

"(Vio) Green...?"

"(Shadow) Huh...? *wakes up fully* Whoa!! He's definitely not at the Palace of Winds anymore, not if _this_ is happening!"

"(Vio) Maybe. Either that or Vaati's nearby. Anyway, I heard a loud noise over that way just a minute ago, before the Triforce started reacting. We should go check it out."

"(Shadow) Yeah."

Shadow gets up, packs his bedroll away, and goes to investigate, but Vio hangs back, his palm against his forehead.

_'Last night... I had a dream, didn't I...? Another of those odd flashes of the past, that are so real that they can only be memories, not dreams... But... I can't remember what it was... Just that it was something important...'_

"(Vio) Ugh, why can't I remember...?!"

Shadow notices his friend lagging behind and calls over his shoulder, looking a bit concerned.

"(Shadow) Hey Vio, you alright?"

"(Vio) Ah!! *startled* ...Oh, sorry. Still half asleep, I guess. Just a minute, I'm coming- Ugh!"

A twinge of pain streaks through Vio's legs and he stumbles, but manages to catch himself just in time. Shadow moves towards him, worried, but Vio waves him away.

"(Vio) I'm fine. I can handle it."

Vio hobbles over to Shadow, not even bothering to hide his limp at this point. Several minutes later, the two young heroes reach the source of the noise: a small crater in the mountainside where something has crashed. A huge cloud of dust has yet to settle back to the ground, obscuring visibilty quite a bit, but a figure can be dimly seen through the haze in the middle of the impact zone...

"(Shadow) What the..."

"(Vio) Something's _definitely_ over there. I could've sworn I just saw movement, too."

The wind picks up, and the dust begins to clear, revealing an odd sight: a creature that appears to be somewhere between being a human and a dragon lays in the center of the crater, out cold and quite battered from the rough landing. Something shifts below the creature, trapped by the dead weight of its unconscious form. Vio stares at the creature, thinking hard.

_'Is that... a monster? No, something's off. Could it be...?'_

"(Shadow) ...!"

The green light emanating from the center segment of the Triforce of Courage strengthens, reacting to something. A faint emerald glow shines weakly in response from one of the creatures hands and from something beneath it. Said thing beneath the creature mumbles something, weakly pushing at the creature on top of him. His voice is quite familiar to the two heroes...

"(voice) Ugh... Y-you're so... heavy... *haa... haa...*"

_'(Shadow & Vio's thoughts) That voice...'_

"(Shadow & Vio) Vaati!"

"(Vaati) ...Hihi... Do you... believe me now...?"

"(Shadow) What nonsense are you spewing this time, you stuck-up midget? Come on Vio, let's get Purple over here out from under whatever this thing is."

_'His voice is really weak... He's hurt, and hurt badly. Now isn't the time to give him a trouncing, especially since he really has been trying to help us in his own sneaky way...'_

"(Vio) Got it."

Though Shadow's words are mean as usual, his tone is simply teasing as he and Vio pull the battered Wind Sorcerer out from under the dragon boy and lean both newcomers against the nearby cliff face that makes up part of Death Mountain's steep and treacherous slope. The dragon boy moans, beginning to stir, and Vaati chuckles weakly.

"(Vaati) Not very... bright, are you...? Who do you... think that... boy is...? Hihi..."

"(Shadow) Quit calling me stupid! You're in no condition to be all high and mighty, so quit talking in circles and say what you mean!"

Shadow gets annoyed at Vaati as always, but Vio is quiet, looking closely at the strange dragon boy. The Violet Hero silently ticks off the boy's characteristics in his head, his suspicion as to who this boy is growing stronger as he notices certain details of his physical features.

_'Blonde hair... Skin tone the same as mine... Same height... Green color theme... Strange, crystal-like structure going from his head onto his arm... The Triforce is responding to his presence... '_

"(Vio) I get it... This dragon-human kid... He's Green, isn't he?"

"(Shadow) Huh? Where'd _that_ come from, Vio?"

"(Vio) I just looked closely at him, Shadow. The resemblance is _definitely_ there. Plus, the segment of his piece of the Triforce of Courage in your hand is glowing, and so is the back of his left hand. *matter-of-fact*"

Vio calmly points out the obvious and keeps a perfectly straight face even when Shadow facepalms himself.

"(Shadow) You always manage to do that, don't you, Vio? ^.^; "

"(Vio) Basically."

Vaati lets out a tired laugh at this, getting the two boys' attention. He nods wearily when they look at him in answer to Vio's question. Green stirs again, waking up. His cornflower blue eyes open slowly, clouded with the intense pain he's in from Veran's magic.

"(Green) *haa... haa...* Wh-what...?"

"(Shadow) Boo. *sticks tongue out*"

"(Vio) Good morning, Green."

Green slowly blinks as he wakes up all the way.

_'Vio and Shadow...? Then... I'm on Death Mountain... ...!!!'_

***THROB!!!***

Green is rapidly reaching his limit, his strength to fight Veran's power just about spent.

"(Green) Get... away..."

* * *

**A/N:** Ooh, what's up with Green, I wonder? Tee hee! I should have the next chapter up quickly; I'm trying to make up for not posting anything for Christmas... Anyway... Please review!!!! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review!!!! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*


	19. Chapter 18: Return of the Wind Demon

**A/N:** Like I said, I wanted to crank out another chapter as well to make up for missing Christmas, so here it is! Enjoy, everyone!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 18: Return of the Wind Demon

It's dawn in Zora's Domain, and the two Zora princesses have just woken up and are getting ready for the new day. Ruto calls over her shoulder to her sister Rutela while she packs a rucksack with supplies for spending the day at Lake Hylia searching for the mysterious monster.

"(Ruto) Hey, do you think I should take the kitten with me, zora?"

"(Rutela) Well, we can't just leave it here... And maybe its owner will be looking for it, if it has one... So yes, zora."

"(Ruto) All right. Hey, you're coming with me today, zora."

"(strange kitten) Mew...?"

She picks up the kitten.

**~Meanwhile, back on Death Mountain~**

"(Green) Get... away..."

"(Shadow) Huh?"

"(Vio) I'm getting a bad feeling all of a sudden... Green, what's wrong?"

"(Vaati) ..."

__

'This isn't good... He's reached his limit!'

"(Green) Get... away...! Get away from me!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!"

Green's scream of pain as he clutches his head in agony quickly changes into a fierce reptilian howl of rage...

**"(Dragon Green) GRAAAAARRRR!!!"**

"(Vio) We are SO screwed."

Green has become a monster; a HUGE dragon with bright emerald scales and a strange crystalline growth on his forehead. The creature roars and takes to the air. Shadow quickly shoves the injured Vaati over to Vio and runs at it with a lit bomb in hand, intending to fight alone since the other two are in no condition to do so.

"(Vio) Shadow, wait!!"

Vio tries to use his bow, but can't even hold it properly. He sighs and gives up, stowing it back in his cap.

"(Vaati) ...This is... all my... fault..."

"(Vio) What do you mean by-? Ah!! Shadow!!"

The gray-clad Hylian has just been smashed into the air by a swing of the dragon's tail right after he threw his bomb, which has been knocked right back into his startled grip. The boy's flame-red eyes widen as far as they can go; he knows what's coming...

"(Shadow) *muttering under his breath* The Goddesses must **_really_** hate me today..."

The bomb detonates, sending Shadow flying. He smashes into a large boulder and moans weakly, out cold. Vaati shakes off Vio's attempts to restrain him and stumbles forward, towards the berserk Green.

"(Vio) Idiot! In that condition, you'll die for sure!"

Vaati laughs weakly.

"(Vaati) Hihi... I said... the same... to you... back in the... cavern... And did _you_... listen...?"

"(Vio) *sweat drops* Uhhh..."

Vio's expression clearly says "no."

"(Vaati) Anyway... ...It's... my fault... he's like this... so... I'll... suffer for it...!"

**"(Dragon Green) ROOOOOAAAAARRRR!!!"**

Vio is about to run forwards to stop Vaati, but his still-injured legs buckle beneath him.

"(Vaati) ...?! What...?! Ugh!!"

He collapses into a kneeling position, holding his head in pain. The image of a single huge eye appears inside Vaati's mind. It's closed...

"(Vaati) Argh...! Wh-what... IS this...?! What is... happening...?!!"

_'This... feeling...! It's... so **familiar**...! Have I... felt it before...?! I can't... remember... ...ugh... ...can't... ...stop it... ...Something... something is... com...ing...'_

"(Vaati) unnnh..."

He passes out as the eye in his mind opens, glowing an eerie, electrified white...

**"(Dragon Green) GRRRAAARRR!!! GRRRRROOOOAAAAAARRR!!!!!!!!"**

The dragon seems to sense a threat, landing and rearing its head back in a challenging cry. 'Vaati' slowly picks himself up off the ground, eerily calm as he faces the monster. Vio stares at him, extremely uneasy. His warrior's sixth sense; in other words, his instincts; outright _screams_ "danger!", and he very much agrees with it.

__

'Something isn't right... That... That is NOT Vaati...!'

The purple-skinned Wind Sorcerer's voice sounds strange as he begins to speak, his usual relatively high pitch overlaid by a much deeper one. The low tone shakes Vio down to his very bones. This is a very, _very_ familiar voice to him, and one he never, EVER expected to hear again...

__

**"(Vaati?) I see you have lost yourself to the Sorceress's magic, 'Wind Hero.' How shameful."**

"(Vio) Hang on a second!! You're not Vaati! Who are you?!"

__

**"(Vaati?) Hihihi... You of all people should know who I am..."**

A pair of leathery black wings sprouts from Vaati's back, and he turns around for a moment. His eyes are closed, with a single, glowing electric-white eye wide open on his forehead.

"(Vio) G-Gufuu?!"

_'How is this possible?! What- What's going on?! Gufuu... Has he been hiding inside of Vaati all this time?!'_

__

**"(Gufuu) Worry not, I am actually here to HELP for once, though IN SECRET."**

The pointed threat not to tell anyone about this is obvious, and would be even to Blue. Vio shuffles backwards a bit using his arms, intimidated because he's in no condition to fight and Gufuu obviously is.

__

**"(Gufuu) Now, where was I? ...Hmm, yes, that was it... Time to take a nap, 'Wind Hero.'"**

A tornado shoots out and hits the crystal on the dragon's head rapidly, shaving pieces off of it. It leaves only a thin layer of crystal when it finishes, and was so precise that it didn't leave a single scratch on the dragon.

__

**'I would not want to hurt the one the other "me" likes so much, after all...'**

**"(Gufuu) I get the feeling that I shall be seeing you again, 'Earth Hero.' Farewell, for now at least. Hihihi..."**

"(Vaati) unnnh..."

Gufuu's/Vaati's wings disappear and the white eye on his forehead shuts, then fades completely out of sight. Vaati falls to the ground, unconscious. Like Vio when he was a snake monster, the dragon is currently quiet and unconscious now that the crystal has been just about destroyed. It begins to shrink back down to human size, its form a glowing white silhouette as Green reverts to his previous half-dragon, half-Hylian state. Vio just sits there, his eyes widened as far as physically possible and his face deathly pale.

"(Vio) ........... **O_O** *in shock*"

***Thud!***

Vio faints, all of this too much for even him to handle.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry this one's so short, I'm runninga bit low on ideas right now, and stopping it here fit. Anyways... Please review!!!! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review!!!! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*


	20. Chapter 19: Next Stop, Lake Hylia!

**A/N: **Mwahahahaha! The time has come to completely freak out the unsuspecting readers! Dea, Wish, you probably knew this was coming anyway, though... Tee hee hee~ Told you the kitten and Ruto/Rutela scenes weren't filler... XDDD Enjoy~! By the way, I decided that Zoras talk normally underwater, too, since that idea makes sense to me... If I'm wrong, feel free to tell me in a review.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Dea Letum**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 19: Next Stop, Lake Hylia!

"(Shadow) ...ugh... What... happened...?"

_'Oh yeah... Green turned into a huge dragon and made my own bomb blow up in my face... My head feels like Blue's in there whacking the inside of my skull with that hammer of his over and over again... And I think my bruises have bruises. ...I'd better get up now...'_

Shadow is the first one to come to, slowly pulling himself up out of his previous position of being slumped against the boulder he crashed into. He manages to stand up, but the world swirls dizzyingly around him as soon as he does so and he collapses back into a sitting position in a matter of moments.

"(Shadow) Damn... Hope I don't have a concussion..."

He waits for his vision to clear, then slowly, carefully raises his head and looks around. It's late morning now, so he has been unconscious for several hours. His ears twitch at a faint sound coming from nearby as someone groans, also waking up.

"(Vio) Nnnn... ...? *wakes up* ............ *still in a bit of shock*"

"(Shadow) Vi...o...? That... you...?"

Shadow's weak call snaps the purple-clad boy back to reality as the red-eyed hero squeezes his eyes shut and puts a hand to his head, his headache having worsened from this small effort.

"(Vio) ...! Shadow!"

Vio picks himself up off the ground and slowly hobbles over to his battered friend. Vaati is passed out nearby, lying near Green, who is in his half-Hylian, half-dragon form again.

"(Shadow) Vio... What happened... after I passed out...?"

"(Vio) ..."

_"Worry not, I am actually here to HELP for once, though IN SECRET."_

"(Shadow) Vio?"

Vio looks up sheepishly.

"(Vio) Sorry, still a bit out of it, I guess. ...I... I'm not sure. It's all a blur up to the point where I lost consciousness as well. Looks like **something** stopped Green, though."

"(Shadow) Huh?"

Shadow looks over towards where Vio is pointing and sees the unconscious dragon boy and Wind Sorcerer.

"(Shadow) ...Huh. Weird... Guess we got lucky or something."

_'Vio's hiding something, I can tell. ...Meh, what am I worrying over? This is **Vio**. He'll spill when he's good and ready, and no sooner. And he wouldn't keep anything **seriously** important a secret... ...Goddesses, my head hurts...'_

"(Vio) ..."

Vio bursts out laughing suddenly.

"(Shadow) What?"

"(Vio) Y-you... You call _this_ **lucky**...?! Ahaha, Shadow, you're **_crazy!_**"

Shadow flashes an impish grin at his friend, closing one eye in a mischievious wink.

"(Shadow) Never said I wasn't, now did I?"

Vio laughs even harder.

"(Vio) **Definitely** crazy...! *laughing*"

**~Meanwhile~**

Ruto arrives at the shore of Lake Hylia, an elegant-looking spear held comfortably in her hands. The morning air is comfortably warm, and the sky is clear with a few cottonball clouds cheerfully scudding along through the upper atmosphere. A light breeze ruffles the leaves of nearby plants and grasses, giving the morning a fresh, springtime atmosphere. The mysterious flame-furred kitten peeks out of the rucksack looped over her shoulder and meows urgently.

"(Ruto) Haha, you want down, huh, zora?"

She places the kitten on the ground and it immediately heads straight for the water.

***Splash-whump-thud!***

"(kitten) Mewww!!"

The kitten is instantly knocked head-over-heels by an abnormally large wave, revealing its underside. A tiny, strange crystal-like growth comes into view, located right between the split in its tail. Its gender also becomes evident.

"(Ruto) Ah, so you're a girl-kitten, zora! You seem so determined, I thought you were a boy at first, but I guess I was wrong, eh? Wait, why am I talking to a cat like it's a person...? ^.^; Anyway, I guess I can't just leave you here to get battered by the waves, zora. I'll take you swimming with me! Guess I won't be able to do any searching underwater just yet, but the witnesses of this mysterious monster said that strange things were happening out at that weird island in the middle of the lake that showed up out of nowhere one day anyway, so I'll just go there first, zora."

Ruto calmly picks up the kitten and puts her back in the rucksack, carefully positioning the bag so that it will be above the water while she's swimming. She then happily dives into the lake, swimming effortlessly towards a mist-shrouded island off in the distance. Dense fog surrounds the mysterious landmass in an odd and slightly unsettling contrast to the otherwise clear weather, obviously out of place. The currents surrounding this island are very strong, surprising Ruto and sending her tumbling through the water, sucking her in towards the island.

"(kitten) Mewww!"

The hapless little feline falls out of Ruto's rucksack and is immediately swept away from her. Ruto tries to catch the kitten, but it's being carried too quickly by the current and she's having a hard time keeping control of her own position in the water. The kitten is sucked underwater, and the Zora princess dives after it.

"(Ruto) What the-?!"

An absolutely **colossal** silhouette stares up at her from deep underwater, and the kitten is suddenly knocked into the startled Zora girl's grip. It struggles, seemingly trying to get to whatever this mysterious creature is, but passes out from oxygen depravation before getting anywhere.

_'...B...l...u...e...! ...B...l...u...e...! ...H...a...v...e... ...t...o... ...f...i...n...d... ..."B...l...u...e"...! ..........'_

A somewhat disturbed Ruto swims back up to the water's surface and quickly makes her way ashore. She has now arrived at the beach of the mysterious island and prepares to investigate, but stops when she hears a sound coming from somewhere in the water several feet out from shore. The unnoficial Zora Warrior tightens her grip on her weapon and warily turns towards the source of the noise. An odd circular ripple disrupts the pattern of the waves, rapidly getting larger and bubbling upwards as something approaches the surface. A dark silhouette almost a third as big as the island comes into view, and Ruto's eyes widen in shock and fear as the mysterious creature surfaces, towering over the Zora princess and covering her with its immense shadow. Ruto's terrified scream rips through the air...

**~Back at Death Mountain~**

Green and Vaati are awake now, and the four have exchanged information and caught each other up on the situation, as well as treating each other's wounds. Shadow still leans against the boulder he was knocked into previously, looking slightly bored. His hands are behind his head in a relaxed pose.

"(Shadow) So there's this woman named Veran who's loose in Hyrule now, and she's the one that turned Vio into a monster? Ugh, first Gufuu and Ganondorf-"

"(Green) And you..."

"(Shadow) Yeah, and me. Anyway, now this brat and a crazy female sadist who apparently wants revenge against someone who looked like Green from the ancient past have shown up, too!"

"(Green) Yeah... She called us... "_his_ descendants..." But what... does that mean?"

Green's face is pale and drawn, and he looks almost as bad as Vaati does except without the countless cuts and bruises. All four boys have bandaged and treated each other's wounds by now and are resting. The only wound that hasn't been treated is a thin, shallow cut across Vaati's forehead because he vehemently refused to remove his cap and said that under no circumstances would he ever do so even if they tried to force him. Most of the rest of the half-dead Wind Sorcerer's telltale purple skin is covered by bandages. Shadow doesn't seem to have a concussion, though he does have a large bump on the back of his head and is bruised all over. Vio's legs still freeze up on him at times and he can't wield a weapon yet, but he didn't get any injuries from when Green went berserk other than a few small scratches from falling. Green is in the best shape out of the four of them other than the fact that he's currently half dragon and suffering from a serious case of exhaustion. Basically, they're all bruised and battered and _should_ be resting as much as possible, but instead they're exchanging information with each other and the like.

"(Vaati) You "Links"... appear throughout... Hyrule's history... Each one... always named... "Link"... And bearing... the Triforce of... Courage..."

"(Vio) Huh? How do you know they're always named Link? The names of heroes from the past weren't mentioned in any of the books I've read."

"(Vaati) I... knew one... I think... Can't... remember clearly..."

About two hours pass as the four boys continue to talk. They decide that they'll ask the Triforce of Courage where Blue and Red are, then all rest until the next morning rather than risk the trip down Death Mountain in the dark and/or in their battered states. Vaati's palm pulses gently with a weak stinging sensation as the three "Links" close their eyes and ask the Triforce of Courage to show them where to go. He doesn't really notice this though because he's fast asleep. In their eagerness to get some sleep, they forget to focus on either just Red or just Blue...

"(Green) Lake... Hylia...? ...Hey...! That island... That... wasn't there... before...!"

"(Shadow) Don't ask me; I don't think I've ever been there..."

"(Vio) Green's right. That island is new, just like the cave system here on Death Mountain. ...Hey, wait... Who were we focusing on? Red or Blue?"

"(Shadow) Huh? I forgot to focus on just one of 'em, actually..."

"(Green) Me neither..."

"(Vio) Then that means..."

"(all three) They're both at Lake Hylia!"

* * *

**A/N: **Tee hee hee... Did you enjoy this chapter? I hope so... Anyway, I've enabled anonymous reviews now, too, so now you readers have one less excuse to not review. So... Please review!!!! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review!!!! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes* I'm begging you, just review... T.T


	21. 20: You Guys are Idiots, Aren't You?

**A/N:** I'm really, REALLY sorry I took so long to publish a new chapter! This one's a bit boring and not very action-y, maybe, but it's still a chapter, right? And yes, Green has been to Zora's Domain before. This will probably explained in the next chapter... And what in heck happened to Ruto anyway? Teehee~... Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **DeaAradia**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 20: You Guys are Idiots, Aren't You?

It is around noon of the day after Green and Vaati met up with Shadow and Vio on Death Mountain. The four boys have made their way off of the active volcano and are currently in Hyrule Field. Though their pace is slow as they're pushing themselves when they're all wounded and/or exhausted, they should reach Lake Hylia soon.

**~several hours later~**

The group of four reaches Lake Hylia without much incident, though Shadow has several more bruises from Octoroks. He seems to be the only one of the four other than Vaati who has trouble dodging them, and Vaati is only being hit because he's too injured to move quickly. All four boys look very exhausted, but they stubbornly continue anyway. They are now standing on a ridge overlooking the lake, looking out over the water towards an island shrouded in a thick fog.

"(Green) Whew... We made it... And there's the island..."

"(Vio) That mist isn't natural; it can't be. The weather is much too clear for fog."

"(Shadow) *grins devilishly* What did ya'll expect? For it to be _easy?_"

Green laughs weakly and Vio has a small smile on his face.

"(Vio) Of course not. What fun would that be?"

"(Green) It's only... _easy_... when we go the wrong way, after all...! Heheh...!"

"(Vaati) ...Hihi... True..."

The four boys head for the lake shore, tired but too stubborn to realize they _really _need to stop and rest... They all end up passing out about halfway there and being picked up by a small group of Zora warriors on patrol, and are taken to see the King of the Zoras when they come to. He doesn't actually meet with them however, and they are brought to talk with one of his daughters instead after hearing the sounds of him freaking out and crying in the throne room about his "precious Ruto." A Zora warrior escort begins leading them to their new destination, answering some of their questions along the way.

"(Shadow) What the heck...? What's with Mister Panic Attack over there? Aren't kings supposed to be calm and collected and, well, _royal?_"

"(Zora warrior) Princess Ruto has gone missing, zora. He dotes on her quite a bit, you see, so he is very worried about her safety right now. Please forgive him for being so unprofessional, zora."

"(Green) Princess... _Ruto?_"

Green blanches, looking scared.

_"I'll beat you in a duel one day, and then you'll HAVE to marry me! I'll be the first "Ruto" to get a guy, just you wait!"_

"(Vio) What's wrong, Green? Your face turned really pale all of a sudden. Are you alright?"

"(Green) I don't want to talk about it..."

"(Vaati) ..."

_'I get the feeling he's met this Zora princess before...'_

"(Shadow) You know this "Ruto" person, don't you?"

"(Green) I said I don't want to talk about it..."

Green looks depressed so Shadow drops the subject. The four boys continue on through Zora Domain in comfortable silence until they reach a small cottage and their Zora escort motions for them to stop.

"(Zora warrior) We're here, zora. Wait just a moment."

He knocks on the door.

"(Zora warrior) Princess Rutela, I have brought the group of four that was found during my patrol earlier to see you, zora. You see, your father--"

A feminine-sounding "I'm used to it by now, but that doesn't mean I have to like it" sigh is clearly heard from behind the door.

"(female Zora's voice) My father is very worried about my elder sister Ruto and is in no condition to see anyone, zora. I know about that already. After all, I helped her sneak out in the first place, zora... You may return to your post, warrior. I will speak with them now. Come in, zora."

Rutela opens the door for the four boys and they all go inside, Green hesitating a bit at the doorway and entering last. Rutela's gaze travels over the four of them, eventually staying on Vio.

"(Rutela) Oh, if it isn't Link! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I see you still have that habit of befriending the strangest of folk as well, zora. Would you mind introducing me to your friends? And what happened to your eyes, zora? I remember them being blue the last time I saw you, but now they're purple..."

Green sweat drops, Shadow's eyes widen and Vio actually looks confused for once. Vaati, on the other hand, seems quite amused by this.

"(Vaati) Hihi..."

"(Vio) Huh?"

Green steps forward, getting Rutela's attention.

"(Green) Rutela, _I'm_ Link. Well, the Link you know, anyway. I go by the name Green now."

She stares at the half-Hylian, half-dragon boy for a moment, then sighs.

"(Rutela) I believe some explanations are in order, zora... ^.^; "

**~a few hours later~**

"(Rutela) Wow. You four sure have been through a lot, zora... Is that everything?"

"(Green) Yep, that's it."

"(Shadow) So, you understand that I'm not a demon now, right?"

"(Vio) And that I'm not Green?"

"(Rutela) Yes, zora. You guys are idiots, aren't you?"

"(Vio and Shadow) HUH???"

"(Rutela) Like our warriors. You push yourselves far past what is healthy and willingly enter into very dangerous situations without hesitation, zora. To me, someone like that is an "idiot." My sister Ruto is one of those I consider such as well, zora."

"(Vio) Oh. That makes sense."

"(Shadow) So you call people who are _brave_ idiots? That's really weird... Hey Green, how come you didn't seem surprised?"

"(Green) Rutela's always been like this. She's called me an idiot before, too."

"(Shadow) So you _have_ met these Zora princesses before!"

"(Green) I repeat: I _don't_ want to talk about it!"

"(Shadow) Sheesh, you act like this Ruto person wants to _marry_ you or something!"

Green and Rutela both sweat drop and Rutela quickly changes the subject.

"(Rutela) I'd like to know more about your purple-skinned friend here, zora. How did you meet him?"

Everyone looks towards Vaati...

"(Vaati) ..."

Vaati appears to have fallen asleep... The Links sweat drop and Rutela smiles gently.

"(Rutela) Your friend there seems to be quite tired, zora."

"(Green) Yeah. I get the feeling he's been through much more than what little he's told us and we've seen..."

_'And I'm pretty sure that a lot of what he went through was to help me... But why...?'_

Vio looks a bit distracted, his attention shifting away from the conversation and into his own thoughts.

_'Vaati... Just who are you? Why is Gufuu inside your body, and why do you seem to know much more than you let on? You act so much older than you seem to be most of the time, yet when you're asleep you look fragile and innocent, like a small child... All I can really tell for sure is that you're dangerous. **Really** dangerous. Something about you just screams "threatening..." **Except **for when you're asleep. It's so strange; almost as if you're two people, or from another time entirely-- Wait. Gufuu is **ancient**. And he seemed to be perfectly at home inside Vaati's body. He was completely in tune with him and his powers, and they even share the same title. Maybe... Vaati **is **from the past? ...Once I have some time alone, I'll do some serious reading in my book. We need to find out as much about this situation as possible, and about these two magic users; Vaati and Veran... I should also see what I can find out about that strange boy that looks like Shadow, too...__'_

"(Shadow) ...io. Hey, Vio."

"(Vio) ..."

"(Shadow) **_HYRULE TO VIO!_**"

"(Vio) Ah!! *startled*"

"(Shadow) Finally! I've been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes!"

The two boys are alone in the room. Vio looks around curiously, still a bit dazed.

"(Vio) Where did everyone go?"

"(Shadow) That Rutela girl went off somewhere to handle running Zora's Domain in place of her father after offering us a guest house to stay in. Green already went on ahead with our stuff. He was carrying the purple brat over his shoulder like it was nothing, too... Either Vaati's ridiculously light, or Green's a bit more dragon than he seems. Come on, let's go catch up with him."

The gray-clad boy shakes his head and adjusts his cap, looking like all he wants right now is to take a nice, long nap. He extends a hand to help Vio out of the chair he's sitting in and his purple-clad friend takes it, pulling himself up.

"(Vio) Thanks. Sorry about that, by the way. I was just... thinking."

Shadow laughs and rolls his eyes.

"(Shadow) Just be glad it was me here and not Blue! He probably would've whacked you with that hammer of his!"

"(Vio) Yeah. And I can just imagine what he'd say, too."

Vio raises his voice to take on an annoyed, aggressive tone and drops to a slightly lower pitch, imitating the Blue Link perfectly.

"(Vio mimicking Blue's voice) Of course you were thinking; you're _always _thinking! I bet if we left you alone with your book for just _one_ second, you'd _never_ stop! Get your head out of the clouds and into the **fight**, bookworm!"

Shadow bursts out laughing at Vio's perfect Blue impression as the pair leaves the cottage and begins heading towards the guesthouse they've been given use of.

"(Shadow) Yeah, that's Blue all right, one hundred percent! You're really good at that, Vio!"

"(Vio) Well, our voices all sound similar in the first place, so it's easy. The only one of us whose voice I can't mimick very well is Red."

"(Shadow) Because of the high pitch?"

"(Vio) I think so. Hey, Shadow... I've noticed that you never refer to Red as a he. Why?"

"(Shadow) Neither do you, you know. It's because I don't think Red's a _he_ in the first place."

"(Vio) So you figured it out, too?"

"(Shadow) Yeah. And now that it seems like we're actually seperate people somehow, it makes a lot more sense, doesn't it?"

"(Vio) Of course it does. Red's always had moments where she acted more like a girl than a boy, especially that time we were fighting Gufuu at Sky-Tall Tower."

"(Shadow) Huh?"

"(Vio) Oh yeah, you weren't with us for that part..."

_'While we were fighting Gufuu, Shadow... He was heading for the Dark Mirror, to break it... And I had no idea, none at all...'_

Shadow's voice breaks Vio out of his depressing thoughts as the gray-clad boy asks him a question.

"(Shadow) So, what happened that had Red acting girly?"

"(Vio) Gufuu was beating us by that point... He grabbed Red and Blue with some of his tentacles and basically tied them together. Blue freaked out as angrily as always and Red squealed "Nooo~!" like a teenaged girl. It was probably just my imagination, but I could've _sworn_ I saw a little heart above her head, too."

"(Shadow) Seriously?"

"(Vio) Yes."

Shadow laughs.

"(Shadow) Ahahahaha! That's _hilarious_! I'm sorry I missed it! Hey, what were you and Green doing then?"

"(Vio) Gufuu had Green by his arms and legs, spread-eagled in mid-air..."

"(Shadow) And what about you, Vio?"

"(Vio) Well..."

"(Shadow) Come on, tell me already!"

Vio sweat drops.

"(Vio) When I went to help the others one of Gufuu's tentacles wrapped around my ankle. He had me hanging upside down before I could even blink. It was quite embarrassing for me."

"(Shadow) Well, sounds like he had all four of y'all beat at that point, so you shouldn't be so ashamed of it. No one's perfect, right?"

"(Vio) Yeah. Oh, is that house it?"

"(Shadow) I think so. Let's go in; I need a nap..."

The two boys go inside the cottage, headed for a much-needed rest...

* * *

**A/N: **Hope all you readers liked this chapter, and sorry it doesn't really have any action. In my defense, the poor kids need some time to rest and heal their wounds in the first place, so they'll be spending a bit of time in Zora's Domain. Anyway... Please review!!!! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review!!!! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes* I even allow anonymous reviews now!


	22. 21: Why Green is Scared of Princess Ruto

**A/N:** Sorry if I kept you readers waiting _too_ long... school + my laziness = a double whammy for this kinda thing... ^.^; Anyway, there may not be any action in this chapter, but our little heroes deserve a break, don'tcha think? Enjoy the story~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **DeaAradia**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 21: Why Green is Scared of Princess Ruto

**~That night~**

The four boys have returned to the guest cottage after being invited to dinner with Rutela. It has six beds arranged in three rows in a dormitory-style bedroom, a small den/living room with a few couches and comfy chairs, and a small kitchen. They're currently in the den. Green is laying on one couch and Vio and Shadow are sitting together on the couch across from him. Vaati is sitting in a comfy chair in the corner nearest to Green, looking slightly bored and half-asleep. Green has been much quieter than usual ever since they got here, and Shadow's sick of waiting for him to explain himself.

"(Shadow) Alright Green, spill it. You've been acting really weird ever since this "Princess Ruto" girl was mentioned, and it's obvious that you've been here before... Explain already!"

"(Green) I said I don't want to talk about it..."

Shadow glares at him.

"(Shadow) Do I look like I care? I'm the formerly-evil one, remember? Tell us already!"

Vio is trying to keep himself from laughing while Vaati looks faintly interested, perking up a bit as he decides that he doesn't want to take another nap after all. Green gives up, letting out a small sigh.

"(Green) Fine, you win. This isn't the first time I've been here, just like you guessed. It's actually the second. The first was several years ago, back when Zora's Domain was still isolated from the rest of Hyrule. I was around nine at the time and so was Zelda. Her father came here on a diplomatic mission to open relations with the mysterious and secluded Zora race, while Zelda tagged along. My father was part of their escort since he's the General and he brought me along with him. While Zelda's dad and the King of the Zoras were negotiating and everything, Zelda and I met and started playing with the Zora princesses, Ruto and Rutela. Ruto was nine, the same age as me, and Rutela was eight."

"(Shadow) So you kids were sent off to play together to keep you out of the adults' hair, huh? Niiice."

"(Green) Yeah... *sighs*"

"(Vio) What happened while you were here?"

"(Green) I'm getting to that. Ruto decided she had to force me to marry her the minute she found out my name was "Link." Something about some family tradition thing where the first Zora princess to be named Ruto gave this jewel called the Zora Sapphire to a young hero named Link, making him her fiance, but never actually managed to marry him... So now she thinks that she's fated to force me to marry her to avenge the first Ruto since her "Link" escaped her."

Green shudders.

"(Shadow) And Zelda didn't smack her?"

"(Green) No. Why would she? Zelda's like a sister to me..."

The red-eyed Link laughs, one of his fang-like canines showing.

"(Shadow) Green, you've sure got it tough with the girls... Not one, but _two _princesses crushing on you? That's gotta be some kinda record or something! Especially since you-- Mmph!"

Green gives Vio a thankful glance, his cheeks flushed. Said purple-clad hero just covered his mischievious friend's mouth, much to the half-dragon Hylian's relief.

"(Vio) Shadow, I don't think Green wants people to make any strange assumptions about him. Vaati's listening, remember?"

He uncovers Shadow's mouth and the grey-clad boy nods in agreement.

"(Shadow) Oh yeah, I kinda forgot the purple brat was there for a second. After all, he's actually being _quiet_ for once... Sorry about that, Green."

Vaati seems even more interested than before, deep in thought as something clicks in his mind.

"(Vaati) ...Hihihi... Hihihi...!"

_'Vio and Shadow are obviously crushing on each other... And from the way the Red and Blue "Links" acted at the Sanctuary, their situation is likely to be similar... Green is afraid of people thinking he might be gay! How hilarious! Hihihihihi...!'_

Vaati starts laughing uncontrollably, shaking with each hysterical giggle that escapes his lips. He's obviously caught on to something... Green stares at him for a moment, then takes a deep breath and resumes his explanation, speaking so quickly that his words run together.

"(Green) ......... *speaking so fast that his words make absolutely no sense whatsoever*"

Shadow gives the hysterical Wind Sorcerer a disconcerted glance as his giggle fit starts to die down before turning back to Green.

"(Shadow) Uhhh, what? You talked waaaay too quickly just now."

"(Vio) He said: "Ruto said that she's going to challenge me to a duel the next time she sees me! And that if she wins, I'll have to _marry _her! I'm avoiding her because I don't want to marry Ruto!!""

"(Shadow) Oh. Thanks, Vio. Green, do you seriously think she could beat you? So much for being the fearless Left-Handed Hero! Hahaha!"

Green shoots his red-eyed friend an annoyed glance.

"(Green) It's not that! She has a tactical advantage!"

"(Shadow) What do you mean?"

"(Vio) It's probably related to her weapon of choice."

Vio goes into "teacher mode;" imaginary hat, pointer, chalkboard and all.

"(Vio) Different weapons have advantages over or disadvantages against other weapons due to differences in reach, power, mobility, speed, and other factors such as special traits specific to a weapon, like our swords' ability to collect Force. For example, take two fighters with equal skill levels with their weapons. One uses a boomerang, the other a bow and arrow. A boomerang travels in a curved arc, making it more versatile than a bow and arrow. However, a bow and arrow has a much greater range than a boomerang as well as being more powerful. Therefore, a bow and arrow may have an advantage depending on the situation, but the boomerang could also have an advantage, too."

Shadow sweat drops.

"(Shadow) Uhhh, right."

_'I'll just pretend I understood all that while it sinks in...'_

"(Vio) Anyway, what weapon does she use, Green?"

"(Green) All of the Zora warriors I've seen use custom-made javelins suited for underwater combat, so I'm guessing that Ruto uses one, too. Spears have a longer reach than swords, meaning that even if all she can do is simply keep me from getting close, that's still enough to make things really tough for me. Plus, knowing her, she'd probably force me to fight her in the middle of the lake or something just to give her even more of an edge. I don't want to give her any chance of possibly beating me at all, so avoiding her is my best bet. That way she can't ever make me marry her..."

Shadow stares at Green for a moment, then bursts out laughing.

"(Shadow) Ahahahahaha! Green's afraid of a girl! This is great!"

"(Green) I am _not_ scared of her!"

"(Shadow) Really? 'Cause you sure _sounded_ like it!"

"(Green) I am _**NOT **_afraid of Ruto!!"

Shadow grins.

"(Shadow) Prove it, then. Let her have her little duel and be done with the whole mess. Unless, of course, you're too _scared_ of losing?"

He draws out the word "scared," his voice a lazy drawl laden with mischief. Vaati watches with interest, his giggle fit finally over with, and Vio just sighs.

_'Why do I get the feeling that I'm the only "Link" who isn't an idiot in some way...?'_

Green gulps nervously, then steels himself, falling for his friend's taunt.

"(Green) Fine, I'll do it. If only so you'll stop teasing me..."

He yawns, rubbing his eyes.

"(Green) Dunno about you guys, but I'm going to sleep."

Shadow yawns and stretches lazily.

"(Shadow) Yeah, it's gotten pretty late, hasn't it? I'm just about ready to turn in, too. What about you, Vio?"

"(Vio) Sleeping in a nice soft bed for once _definitely_ sounds good to me. Looks like Vaati beat us all to it, though."

The purple-skinned youth is fast asleep in his chair, looking surprisingly cute with a peaceful expression on his face...

"(Shadow) Wow, the brat sure can sleep. He's been napping on and off all day!"

"(Green) ..."

_'He's so exhausted because he wore himself out helping me and still hasn't recovered...'_

"(Green) You guys go on ahead. I'll get him."

The other two boys head off to the bedroom and Green follows, carrying Vaati easily.

_'He's so light... Even without this strange strength I have now, it would still be really easy to carry him... Isn't being so light for this size unhealthy...? Or is it just because he's a Wind Sorcerer? He can't **really **be a Picori, right...?**'**_

He shakes his head, sighing quietly to himself.

"(Green) I'm overthinking this because I'm tired, that's all..."

The four boys go to sleep, Vaati and Green taking the two beds nearest the window and Shadow and Vio the middle pair of beds, leaving the two beds nearest the door empty.

**~Meanwhile~**

"(Ruto) Unnngh... Wh-what **_was _**that thing, zora...?"

The missing Zora princess and unnofficial warrior slowly picks herself up off the sand of the tiny island's beach, just waking up.

"(Ruto) Ouch...!"

She winces as she tries to stand up, rubbing at her ankle. It's red, swollen, and very sore. The kitten is curled up next to her and appears to be asleep.

"(Ruto) Looks like I was knocked out for a while, zora... The moon is out already. I won't be able to get back to Zora's Domain today, not with those insane water currents and a twisted ankle, zora... I guess I'd better just settle down here for the night and hope Rutela doesn't get worried and tell anyone that I went to investigate this island and the strange monster that's disturbing the peaceful waters of Lake Hylia. Father must be panicked enough about me already, zora. He'd just be even more upset if he knew where I was. I should get some rest..."

* * *

**A/N:** Ruto's a tough princess, huh? No crying or being scared for her; she just hunkers down and thinks rationally about the situation instead! Did you spot the Green-x-Vaati fluff? And should I have had Vaati just pretend to be sleeping? Ideas are always welcome, and I'm perfectly willing to go back and re-vamp chapters if they can be improved~! Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just _please _review! I even allow anonymous reviews, too! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*


	23. Chapter 22: Interlude of Mysteries

**A/N: **Another chapter for you all~... I gave those line-break thingies a try this time around! I also decided to give Zoras the ability to communicate with marine creatures. It'll show up in the next chapter or so, I think. Hope that idea's not lame or anything... I really gotta get with the program and work on this more often, too. Well, enough about me... Enjoy the fic~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **SoulDea**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!

* * *

Chapter 22: Interlude of Mysteries

**~The next day~**

Ruto spent a relatively peaceful night on the shore of Lake Hylia's mystery island and has just woken up. The red kitten is nowhere to be seen. The Zora princess sits up and rubs her eyes sleepily, then attempts to stand.

"(Ruto) Ouch!"

She lets herself fall back into a sitting position and begins to firmly rub at her ankle, hissing with pain as she does so.

"(Ruto) Ouch... It's really badly swollen, zora... I should've starting rubbing my ankle like this when I first noticed it was twisted. How am I ever going to be a warrior if I mess up simple things like this, zora?"

_'I should treat my ankle properly now so it doesn't get any worse, zora...'_

She sighs and gets up, limping her way over to some thick bushes just off the beach. Using her javelin, Ruto acquires two sturdy branches and shapes them flat as smoothly as she can manage. Taking some rope from her rucksack, which she somehow managed to keep hold of even in the strong water currents just offshore, she quickly and efficiently creates a makeshift splint, fastening it tightly around her wounded ankle.

"(Ruto) I wonder where that kitten went, zora... It may be dangerous here. I'd better go find her before she gets herself into more trouble again, zora."

She makes her way into the small woods of the island, walking more easily now thanks to the splint. After about half an hour of uneventful, surprisingly calm trekking, the brush begins to thin and Ruto, being a Zora after all, senses the presence of water nearby. She heads toward it and about another minute passes, then...

"(kitten) Mewww~!"

The sound of a happy kitten meets her ears and she slowly moves forward, pulling aside the wide leaves of a bush in order to see what's going on.

"(Ruto) ...! *gasp*"

_'Wh-what...? I-isn't that that huge THING that appeared yesterday, zora...?'_

The red-furred kitten plays in the shallows of a large, calm lagoon in the heart of the island; or perhaps it's a cove, as it leads right into Lake Hylia. A colossal silhouette lurks beneath the water near the overjoyed feline, surprisingly calm.

_'It's... not doing anything... Is it asleep, zora? ...Or... could it be...? She looks so happy, as if she knows it... Was this kitten searching for this creature the whole time, zora? Or maybe they were looking for each other, and that's why it's here, zora...'_

"(kitten) Mew~!"

A twig snaps as Ruto accidentally steps on it, getting the creature's attention. Ripples spread across the lagoon's surface as a wave gently moves the surprised kitten away from the sound and the creature prepares to surface, obviously protective of the tiny red feline.

"(Ruto) I-it's okay, zora! I'm not here to do any harm! See, zora?"

She comes out of hiding and slowly bends down, placing her javelin on the ground, and takes a step away from it.

"(silhouette) ..."

Bubbles race up from the depths of the lagoon as the creature comes close to the water's surface, then suddenly dives deep, beckoning Ruto to follow. The kitten has fallen asleep again, curled up contentedly at the water's edge.

_'Is it trying to tell me something, zora? I guess I have no choice but to follow this thing's lead. I already know I'm no match for it anyway, zora...'_

She carefully makes her way to the edge of the shallows and checks her ankle splint, tightening it and making sure it's on securely.

"(Ruto) How strange. It's almost as if the legend of the first Ruto and Jabu-Jabu's belly is repeating itself, zora... Well, here goes nothing!"

Finished getting ready, the Zora princess calls on all her courage and dives into the lagoon.

* * *

**~Meanwhile~**

Back in Zora's Domain, Green, Vio, and Shadow have just woken up. Vaati's bed is empty and has already been made. There's no sign of the purple-skinned youth anywhere in the cottage, either. Vio and Green get dressed while Shadow stretches lazily and lays back down.

"(Shadow) I bet a hundred rupees that brat's up to something... *yawn* Not that I really care... I'm going back to sleep, still tired."

"(Vio) From what I'ved observed about him so far, Vaati's probably just a loner. He'll turn up somewhere..."

"(Green) ..."

Shadow decides to take a nap and Vio goes to the den with his book to read, while Green decides to go outside.

_'Vaati... Guess I'm the only one who's at all worried about him. I might as well take a walk around Zora's Domain since the weather's really nice. It'll be interesting to see if anything's changed since the last time I was here.'_

The weather is just as nice as the day before, sunny with a slight breeze. Green smiles and starts to walk down the path.

_'Come to think of it, I've been more sensitie to the wind ever since I got most of my Triforce piece back. Vio and Shadow told me about Vaati's fake double-cross; that magic training disguised as a trap... They're Earth and Darkness, so what am I? Wind, like Vaati? Is that why he's helping me, because we have something in common? Hmm...'_

"(Green) Aw, who cares... The weather's really nice and we all need to rest. I should just relax..."

He calls out to a passing Zora woman, getting her attention.

"(Green) Excuse me, have you seen a boy with purple skin around here?"

She turns to look at him and Green remembers what he looks like right now. He quickly attempts to explain himself, but the woman doesn't seem to be afraid of him anyway.

"(Green) U-uhhh, I'm not a monster, really! I know I look strange, but-...!"

"(Zora woman) Calm down, zora. I know you're not a monster. You're one of Princess Rutela's guests, correct? She sent word around the Domain about your appearances yesterday so that no one would panic, zora."

Green looks relieved.

_'Good ol' Rutela... She never leaves a loose end untied!'_

"(Green) Yes, that's right. So have you seen him?"

She nods.

"(Zora woman) I caught sight of a boy earlier this morning when I went to Jabu Jabu's spring to check my fishing nets, zora. He was sitting up on the ridge overlookingthe spring and the lake. I couldn't see him very clearly from such a distance, zora, so I'm not sure if he is the boy you are looking for. If it helps, he was a little shorter than you, zora."

He grins.

"(Green) Sounds like him all right! Thanks, ma'am!"

He runs off in the direction of the spring and the Zora woman smiles knowingly.

_'That boy... He bears one of the fragments of my sister's piece of the Triforce. Jabu Jabu may no longer reside in the spring, but as of late strange things have begun to occur there due to that sorceress' disruption of the flow of time... I wonder what he shall find? Heeheehee... And of course, that other boy... The purple-skinned youth who hides his pain with a cold mask and sharp tongue. Already they share a bond beyond that of the three glittering fragments hidden in the youth's right hand... Not that they realize this, of course. "Love" may appear in the most unlikely of places, be it in the form of sympathy, mercy, compassion, or simple kindness... How exciting~!'_

She begins to whistle an oddly familiar tune as her features blur and shift. A flicker of long, deep sapphire hair and creamy pale skin is momentarily visible within the swirling light around her as she disappears.

* * *

**~Jabu Jabu's spring~**

"(Vaati) ... *sigh...*"

_'What is wrong with me...? Why can't I remember what happened? Everything about what happened right before I lost consciousness when Green turned into a monster is a blur. All I remember is that I was trying to stop him, but then this strange, familiar feeling overwhelmed me and I saw something in my mind's eye... But WHAT? What did I see? Something was... opening... Yes, that was it... Something was opening, but WHAT? What was it? Curse my hole-filled memory...!'_

He lets out a frustrated groan and puts his head in his hands.

"(Vaati) Ugh..."

"(female Zora's voice) Hmph! Father just doesn't understand! I'm not just his "dear Princess Ruto," I have a mind of my own, zora! Did he ever once _ask _me if I wanted to marry that guy, zora? No, of course not! I'm just "dear little Ruto," of _course _I have no say in this, zora! Well, this'll show him... I can't get married if both I and the Zora Sapphire go missing, zora!"

"(Vaati) Hmm...?"

He looks down towards the spring and sees the translucent, flickering image of a young Zora girl standing in the shallows, a fairly large fish in her hand.

_'What in Hyrule...?'_

"(Zora girl) Lord Jabu Jabu, I have a yummy fish for you, zora!"

The girl wades deeper into the water, waving the fish around to attract something's attention. A large whale-like fish surfaces, swallowing her. Like the Zora girl, it is also a holograph-like image. The fish flickers out of sight, disappearing from view and revealing a very confused Green standing on the path between here and the rest of Zora's Domain. Vaati has already looked away, so did not notice him. In fact, neither Green nor Vaati has noticed the other yet thanks to the strange vision they've just been treated to.

"(Green) ..."

_'Who was that? She looked a bit like Ruto... Sounded like her, too. ...Wait. This sounds a lot like what Ruto told me about her ancestor...'_

_"The first Ruto didn't want to get married to the suitor her father chose, so she hid inside Jabu Jabu's belly along with the Zora's legendary treasure, the Zora Sapphire... That's how the story starts, at least. Everything after that is a bit sketchy."_

"(boy's voice) There! I finally caught a fish! Think it's big enough, Navi?"

Green is frozen with surprise as he stares at the new apparition, a translucent young boy who looks and sounds suspiciously like him. A fairy flutters around the boy's green-capped head as he holds up his fish for her to inspect.

"(fairy) Well, we'll know once we try it! Be very careful, Link. The Zora king said Jabu Jabu's been acting strange lately, remember?"

"(Green) Ah-...?"

Green hastily covers his mouth, cutting off his startled exclamation.

_'For all I know, he could be able to hear me! Stupid, stupid, stupid!'_

"(boy in green) ...?"

_'Hmm...? What was that sound...?'_

The boy starts to turn around, but the fairy hits him in the head, getting his attention.

"(fairy) Hey! Listen! Weren't you paying any attention to me at all?"

"(boy in green) Huh? Navi, you didn't hear it? I could've sworn I heard someone's voice behind us..."

He turns all the way around, but Green has already hidden himself behind a corner.

"(fairy) You're just imagining things, Link. Quit spacing out! We have to go save this Zora Princess to get the Sapphire, remember?"

The boy sweat drops and sighs, turning back to his fairy companion.

"(green-clad boy) I know, I know... Sheesh, Navi, you don't have to be so mean about it..."

The boy looks back one last time, then disappears. Green comes out of hiding when he's gone and sighs in relief. Seems like he's forgotten all about Vaati at this point.

"(Green) Whew... That was close! I wonder if those people were from the past... But if they were, how did that boy hear me?"

"(Vaati) Hihi... So much for peace and quiet. He could sense your presence because you both possess the Triforce of Courage, of course. After all, that boy is one of the "Links" from ages past..."

The purple-skinned sorcerer stands at the edge of the overhang with his arms crossed, gazing smugly at the startled Green.

"(Green) _V-Vaati?_ How long have you been there? And how do you know all that?"

"(Vaati) I've been here the whole time. For several hours, in fact. I wanted some time alone to think in peace, so I came here where it's nice and quiet. As for how I know... Hihihi... Let's just say it's my... _intuition_."

Green glares at him.

"(Green) You're at least half lying, aren't you?"

"(Vaati) Hihihi... Perhaps, perhaps not. You have only your own judgement to rely on~..."

The half-dragon, half-Hylian boy sighs in exasperation.

"(Green) You... You're actually _enjoying_ this..."

The purple-skinned Wind Sorcerer just grins, his ruby-red eyes bright and mischievous. Green turns to leave, raising his hands in defeat.

"(Green) Alright, I get it. You want to be left alone for now, right? Don't worry, I'm going..."

Vaati's smile disappears the moment Green is out of sight, replaced by a strained expression as he grips his head with both hands, a throbbing headache steadily increasing inside his skull.

"(Vaati) Argh... M-my _**head**_... These memories... Why...? Why now...? Why am I... remembering things... all of a... ...su...dden... ...wh...y... ...n...o...w... ...unnnh..."

* * *

_The boy collapses to his hands and knees. Tears flow freely from his eyes as he looks down at the ground, too guilty to meet his master's gaze._

_"Master… I am so sorry."_

_"Vaati, why were you so interested in the dark hearts of humans?"_

_"I wanted you to acknowledge me. I was just a novice at everything… It was hard… I wanted to triumph over you somehow, Master. When looking at the human world, I saw that the strong and the proud usually did bad things. I thought that if I was bad, I could be strong... So I went to the human world."_

_**"YOU FOOL!"**_

_He flinches, expecting to be hit with his master's staff, but the blow doesn't come._

_"It's not like I was trying to torment you. I wanted you to maintain a strong heart! Why can't you understand a teacher's love? How sad. In addition, true strength isn't in being bad. It's in having a righteous heart. You'd do well to learn from Link, the one who defeated you!"_

_His master gestures towards the unruly-haired blonde in question._

_"Wow, he's being a lot nicer than usual... This is pretty off-key."_

_The blonde steps forward to stand in front of him as he nervously stands up._

_"Hey. It's only natural that training is hard. It's training, after all. Rather than using outside power, you'll feel a lot happier if you work hard and grow strong under your own power. So, do your best!"_

_He smiles through his tears and extends his hand, copying the older boy's gesture of friendship. They shake hands for a moment, both of them smiling._

_"Though, to have this guy as a master, I can't help but be sympathetic."_

_The blonde rubs the back of his head as he says this. The boys smiles excitedly, happy that at least someone shares his feelings about his master's personality._

_"So you understand?"_

_His master sweat drops at this, then turns to him._

_"Let's get going, Vaati."_

_"Yes, Master."_

_"It's about time for the door to close. The door that opens once every 100 years…"_

_'Time to go home...'_

(**A/N: **I do not own the above conversation in italics, though some parts were messed with a bit. It comes from the Minish Cap manga.)

* * *

**A/N: **Heehee~... I'll give you one guess as to who the "Zora woman" really was, since one is all you really need~! Tell me who you think it is in your reviews, please? Things are getting interesting with Green, Vaati, and Ruto, but don't worry, Vio and Shadow's turn in the spotlight will arrive soon! Also, this chapter is longer than the others at around 3,000 words... Should I try to lengthen my chapters more often, or keep them short? I'm not sure, so you readers can decide if you'd like... Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just review! Pleeeeaaaase? *puppy dog eyes* I even allow anonymous ones now!


	24. 23: Hotheads, Bookworms, Ancient History

**A/N:** Told ya the other kids would get more attention, didn't I? Wonder what Veran's up to during all this... *evil grin* Heehee~! Anyways, hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long! Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **SoulDea**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow, a quiver full of arrows and, of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

* * *

Chapter 23: Hotheads, Bookworms, and... Ancient History?

Green's ears twitch as he's walking down the path between Jabu Jabu's spring and the rest of Zora's Domain, picking up a faint sound. He turns back towards the spring, a feeling that something's wrong nagging at him.

"(Green) ...Hm? What was that? It sounded like it came from back this way... I know Vaati wanted to be left alone, but it can't hurt to check, right?"

He jogs up the path and arrives back at the spring just in time to see Vaati collapse. The purple-skinned youth is out cold, laying perilously close to the edge of the overhang right above the deepest part of Jabu Jabu's spring...

"(Green) Hey, Vaati! What happened?! ...Looks like he's unconscious. Guess I was right to double back after all. I'll just get him away from the edge, then leave him be... I don't really feel like being snapped at today, after all."

Green looks around quickly, making sure no one's around to see him, then flies up to the top of the overhang, landing easily next to Vaati.

"(Green) Here we go..."

Green picks the purple-skinned youth up and sets him down a good two or three feet away from the edge, his thoughts inevitably straying to how light the Wind Sorcerer is.

_'It wasn't just me... He **is** really light. **Too** light. He doesn't look like he's been starved or anything though, I remember that from when Shadow helped me treat his wounds. He wouldn't stop complaining the whole time, and absolutely refused to take off his hat. He even threatened to turn us into statues if we tried to get it off him... That cut on his head seems to be healing okay though, which is a relief. Anyway, his size and weight, they just don't add up. He's about half the average weight for the age he seems to be, I think, though it's just a guess... Yet another mystery for the list... ^.^; '_

Green sighs, thoroughly confused.

"(Green) I've gotta stop thinking about this, it's giving me a headache."

He looks at Vaati again.

"(Green) Ah, the heck with it. I can't just leave him alone here like this... He can snap at me all he wants when he wakes up."

The boy takes a seat near Vaati, turning his face into the wind and closing his eyes.

"Mmm... This breeze feels really nice. No wonder Vaati came up here..."

* * *

**~Meanwhile, at Lake Hylia~**

Ruto dives into the water and swims deep into the lagoon, the large shadow of the creature guiding her to an underwater cavern, which she assumes to be its home.

_"(monster?) Red..."_

"(Ruto) ...?!"

_'I-it's TALKING, zora?!'_

Ruto just stares as it begins talking to itself, seemingly not even aware of the Zora girl's presence.

_"(monster?) ...Red... ...why...?! ...you should've just... kept... running...! Now you've been... cursed... ...too... ...Gah...! ...makes me... ...so... MAD...!"_

"(Ruto) ...I can hear you, you know, zora... ^.^;"

_"(monster?) ...! Huh...? ...You... ...the Zora that... came... with Red... ...I swear... if you... hurt Red, I'll..."_

"(Ruto) Calm down, will you? I don't even know who this "Red" person is, zora. And what in the name of Nayru is your problem anyway?! Stirring up trouble in Lake Hylia and scaring everyone, zora... Causing rumors of a "monster" appearing in these waters... But _monsters_ don't talk, zora! So who or what _are_ you?!"

_"(monster?) ...Heh..."_

_'She's a bit like... Green...'_

_"(monster?) ...I'm... Blue... Some crazy witch... cursed me... and my friends... Red... too. That kitten... is Red... I took... most of the hit... meant for Red... after I got... attacked... so... Red's not... a monster... But... that witch is... after Red... to finish the job...! It... pisses me off...!"_

_'What's he talking about, zora? Anyway, this guy's really strange... I mean, what kind of weirdo is named after a COLOR, zora?'_

Ruto somehow manages to sigh even though she's underwater.

"(Ruto) ...I don't get it, zora... But you don't _seem_ evil, so I won't attack you. To tell the truth, I guess it's because you remind me of Link, zora..."

The creature seems surprised at this.

_"(Blue) ...Did you say... "Link"...?! Blonde Hylian, wears green... THAT "Link"...?!"_

"(Ruto) *sweat drops* Whoa, calm down... Yes, that's him, zora. Why? Are you saying you know him, zora?"

_"(Blue) ...Well, DUH... ...Didn't you... hear... about what... happened with... that jerk Gufuu...?"_

"(Ruto) Yeah, what about it, zora? ...Wait... Are you saying that LINK is the hero of the Four Sword, zora?!"

_"(Blue) ...Again, DUH...! He's Green...! And he was... attacked, too...! Understand now...?!"_

"(Ruto) Huh? Link changed his name? And he was attacked, zora?!"

_"(Blue) Are you... stupid or something...? We were ALL attacked...! All four of us...! Me... Red... Green... and Vio...! And I'm... trapped here... because of this... STUUUPID form I'm... stuck in...!"_

Ruto does an underwater shrug.

"(Ruto) And what is that supposed to mean to me, zora? Surely you didn't bring me here for no reason. Spit it out already, zora!"

_"(Blue) Farore... Nayru... and DIN...!!! Are you... really that... **DENSE**...?!! I'm ASKING you... to HELP me... you stupid _girl_...!"_

Ruto waves one fist at him angrily.

"(Ruto) Who're you calling stupid, stupid?! You're so dense, you didn't even realize I'm a Princess, zora! Princess Ruto of Zora's Domain! And I'm going to be a great warrior some day! Show some respect, zora!"

_"(Blue) So what... if you're... a Princess...! I'll... show respect... if I want to...! And I... DON'T...! You're just a... brat...! And a... **warrior**...?! YOU...?! Don't make me... laugh...! Girls can't be warriors...! They're wimps...! And airheads...!"_

"(Ruto) Take that back right now, zora! You should be grateful you're too big to fight right now and I don't have my weapon, zora, or I'd teach you some manners!"

Blue's silhouetted figure somehow makes a scoffing motion that would translate to a "hmph!" in Human.

_"(Blue) Yeah... you and what... army...?!"_

"(Ruto) I don't _need_ an army, you stupid _boy_! Just you wait, zora!"

The two continue to argue with each other, neither one having a clue as to how alike they both sound...

* * *

**~Meanwhile, at the guest cottage in Zora's Domain~**

Shadow is napping in the bedroom while Vio sits in the den with his book and some sheets of paper. He's taking notes as he studies, it seems. One sheet of paper is neatly labelled with the name "Vaati" and details what Vio knows about him so far. Two other such sheets are labelled "Veran" and "boy in white" respectively. The sheet about the white-clad boy is blank save for its label and a brief description of his appearance and actions when Vio first saw him, taking note of his stutter, "baby-talk" level pronunciation skills, and the fact that he wasn't actually physically there in the cavern inside Death Mountain. The questions "Who is he?" and "Why does he look like Shadow?" take up most of the empty space on the page, as Vio has found no information about the boy in his book. Veran's reference sheet is almost as blank, with comments such as "she REALLY hates "Links" and appears to be out for revenge" and "specializes in curses and torture, perhaps?" written in neatly. Vio's attention is currently on the "Vaati" page, however, and as he shifts his hand (which is resting atop it), a fourth sheet, labelled "Gufuu," becomes visible.

"(Vio) Hmm... There are no records for the birth of a purple-skinned Hylian within the past twenty years. Guess that route's a dead end, then. Maybe looking up "Wind Sorcerer" will yield some results."

_'This book has anything I may want or need to know in it... Of course, the most accurate parts are copies of things that are actually real written works, which must be why I can't find anything about that boy when I look at the "normal" pages... But that can wait. Better to see what I can find out from reliable, "real" sources first.'_

Vio flips to the book's index in the back and finds two main categories under "Wind Sorcerer." One reads "(Demon) Gufuu," the other "Vaati." Vio flips to the first page listed under both "Vaati" and "Gufuu" after a moment of thought.

"(Vio) ...Eh?"

The page Vio has opened to is an entry taken from someone's diary, written in the form of a letter.

* * *

_Vaati... Please be safe. That, that THING nearly took control of you completely, I could tell. I barely got to you in time. And yet you still managed to keep it from using your body to attack me, giving me the opening I needed to save you, I hope. I'm so proud of you, Vaati. You've grown so much since the incident with the first Cap. Link would be astonished by your maturity now, too, though neither of us has seen him since then. I intend to keep that promise to you, and shall tell nothing to Link about this, nor shall I reveal myself to him. As you asked, I will simply let him believe that we returned home that day as planned rather than cause him any worry. Still, I myself cannot help but worry. That creature was just a formless black mass after you disappeared, but even then I could sense its strength. However, I knew deep down in my heart that it had not been able to consume you, and for that I am grateful, thank the Goddesses. I wonder what it was you wished for, and where you are now... Though I doubt you will ever read this, as it is in my diary and not a true letter, know that I will be waiting for you here with open arms should you ever choose to return..._

* * *

Vio reads the excerpt over a few times, wondering what it has to do with Gufuu. Remembering certain parts of conversations that did not seem to mean much at first, including one he privately had with Green earlier the night before, the purple-clad boy begins making connections in his mind...

_~...~_

_"(Green) Yeah, I overheard that crazy lady calling Vaati an amnesiac once I finally got through the wind barrier he put up to keep me away. He does seem a little odd, don'tcha think? Like, he knows things, but there always seem to be little gaps and blank areas in that knowledge..."_

_"(Vio) Amnesia, huh? That makes a lot of things about him make more sense... Was there anything else you noticed at the time that seemed a little strange?"_

_"(Green) Well, I peeked around the corner after that and saw Vaati being held in the air in front of her by these whip-like things wrapped around his arms... Something looked off about him for a second; couldn't catch what it was; and his eyes widened, then he suddenly let loose a strong blast of wind and startled her enough to make her let go. It was... pretty weird."_

_~...~_

_"(Vaati) You "Links"... appear throughout... Hyrule's history... Each one... always named... "Link"... And bearing... the Triforce of... Courage..."_

_"(Vio) Huh? How do you know they're always named Link? The names of heroes from the past weren't mentioned in any of the books I've read."_

_"(Vaati) I... knew one... I think... Can't... remember clearly..."_

_~...~_

"(Vio) *thinking out loud* This must be why Vaati doesn't show up in the birth records for the past twenty years. He really is from the past. And Gufuu... This excerpt's relation to him... Could it be that this is an account of how Gufuu came to be, and he was actually born from Vaati himself somehow? I'm fairly certain it's safe to go along with that assumption, since it fits just about all the information I have so far."

He pauses, his eyes straying back to the sentence about "the first Cap."

"(Vio) "Cap"...? Vaati's hat? Come to think of it, he refused to take it off even to treat that cut on his forehead... Looks like I have another lead."

Vio picks up his "Vaati" reference sheet and writes in "his hat may be special somehow," "found a diary entry of someone with a strong connection to him that mentioned a "Link"," "could Vaati be from the past?" and "Gufuu came from him, maybe?". He then moves on to his "Gufuu" reference sheet and writes "born from Vaati?," "doesn't seem to be evil anymore," and "also from the past?". He pauses as he finishes, remembering the legends about Gufuu, then crosses out the last note on Gufuu's page and the one on Vaati's, replacing the one about Vaati with "must be from the time period Gufuu originally came from..."

"(Vio) *sigh...* This is getting complicated. Well, back to work."

He picks up his book again and continues his research session with his usual unwavering focus...

* * *

**A/N:** Lol, Ruto and Blue are too alike... XD Whoever guesses the writer of that diary entry gets a cookie. *prepares to give out lots and lots of cookies* Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just _please_ review! I even allow anonymous reviews, too! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*


	25. 24: Links through Past and Present Alike

**A/N:** ...I am so ashamed of myself... I hope no one thought I gave up on this fic, because I didn't. I've just been lazy, and busy with school... I'm very sorry! I'll try harder, especially when summer vacation starts near the end of June! Anyway, here's chapter 24! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **Soul****Dea**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!

* * *

Chapter 24: Links through Past and Present Alike

**~Veran's Fortress~**

Veran sits in the room with the floating crystals, the red and blue ones in front of her.

"(Veran) Those brats may have escaped me for now, but I _will _have my revenge... Be it that infuriating brat who defeated me, or his descendants, I will make every "Link" I can suffer my wrath! Every last one!"

_'Even though I don't particularly enjoy his company, I might as well bring my old... **partner** to this time. Surely his desire for revenge against Link is as strong as mine; I know he met the same fate as I... It's all in this backward, never-changing land of Hyrule's pathetic legends, after all. Seriously, would it kill these stupid Hylians to just use history books like everyone else? I'll never understand their pathetic tradition and lore, it's all just glorified history class anyway... And all it ever does is repeat itself; over and over and over until it makes me want to puke. Enough happy endings. This chapter of Hyrule's history will end as a dark one!'_

The vengeful sorceress laughs maliciously, sending the red and blue crystals back to their places alongside the other two with a wave of her hand.

"(Veran) Ah, the look on that brat's face will be absolutely _priceless~..._"

* * *

**~Somewhere in the past**~

"A-choo!"

A green-clad young boy sneezes as he sits on the wooden fence of his family's small farm, a cute little chick perched on his shoulder.

"(boy) *wipes his nose* Hope I'm not getting sick... Anyway, Piyoko, I guess you're really happy that whole mess is over with, huh?"

"(chick) Peep!"

The chick nods energetically in agreement, falling off the boy's shoulder in her excitement. He laughs as he catches her in his lap, grinning happily.

"(boy) And I'm glad you're okay too, Piyoko! Hahaha!"

The sound of flapping wings becomes audible as a small bird flies down to perch next to the boy on the fence, looking at him expectantly. There's a letter tied to its leg.

"(boy) Huh? For me? Wonder who it's from..."

He unties the letter and the bird flies off, back to its home. The boy's eyes widen as he sees the royal seal stamped onto the paper, opening it quickly and reading it aloud.

"(boy) _Dear Link, I apologize for troubling you so soon after your adventures' end, but this is urgent. As you know, Nayru, Din and I have been working together to search for Veran and Onox, the villains who fled through time using a stolen fragment of Nayru's power as the Oracle of Ages. They have finally been found, having been sent quite far into the future... Nayru says we should be able to send you to that time, though you will not be able to stay for long. However, I believe that there must be at least one hero such as yourself residing in that timeframe, therefore you may be able to get his aid or vice versa... I know you must have many questions, and we shall discuss this further when you arrive. Please come to the castle as soon as you are able. Sincerely, the Princess Zelda._"

He pauses, letting the information sink in.

"(boy) Here we go again, Piyoko... Well, adventuring is lots of fun anyway, right? We'd better hurry to the castle!"

* * *

**~Back in the Present~**

"(white-clad boy) A-and th-the h-he-hero... Th-the hero d-dr-drew h-his sw-sword and... The hero drew the sword gi-given to him by the P-Pi-Picori and str-struck down the evil, s-sealing all the m-mo-monsters away..."

Shadow's mysterious little lookalike is laying on his stomach on a child-size bed, his legs crossed and waving slightly in the air as he reads from an oversized, ancient-looking tome. He seems to have gotten much better at pronouncing words, but that odd stutter is still very much present.

"(white-clad boy) His sword was christened the Pi-Picori Blade, and enshrined... For a h-h-hun-hundred years, the blade remained untouched, and the monsters were gone from Hyrule..."

He's reading an old legend, one known throughout Hyrule. However, the version he has appears to be a compilation of many such legends...

_"Then, on the hundredth anniversary of the hero's victory, the day of the annual Picori Festival, a mysterious stranger with pale lavender skin entered the traditional sword-fighting tournament and emerged the victor. A few of Castle Town's residents wondered about this youth, though most were simply happy about how special this day was. Legend and lore states that the door to the world of the Picori only opens once every hundred years, and this was that day. As was customary, he was allowed to approach the enshrined Picori Blade, and was to be awarded a finely-forged sword as his prize. However, this mysterious youth had an entirely different reason for coming to the festival... A powerful sorcerer in truth, the stranger broke the Picori Blade in two with a single blast of magic power, releasing the monsters it had for so long bound and defeating any soldier who dared attack him with ease. He then turned the Princess to stone and disappeared in a swirl of wind, his eerie, strangely childlike laughter lingering in the air..."_

* * *

**~Jabu Jabu's Spring~**

Vaati stirs slightly and groans, his bright red eyes slowly flickering open.

"(Green) Hey. Finally up, huh?"

"(Vaati) ...Next time, I'm not going to bother just HINTING that I want to be left alone. You're obviously too stupid to understand. *annoyed*"

Green looks offended.

"(Green) Hey, I'm not stupid! I _did_ leave. I only came back because I heard something and wanted to check it out just in case!"

The annoyed sorcerer stands up and brushes himself off, glaring at Green with an irritable expression.

"(Vaati) And why did you want to check it out, _hmm_?"

Green sweat drops.

"(Green) Uhh, b-because it could've been a monster! O-or a group of them, planning a sneak attack on Zora's Domain!"

Vaati drops the glare and lets out an eerie laugh, pointing his finger at Green in a weak taunt.

"(Vaati) Fine, fine. I'll forgive you... _This_ time. As for _next_ time... Hihihi... You had best make sure there won't BE one, or you'll regret it."

'_Hihi, Green, you're as transparent as glass... It wasn't Zora's Domain you were worried about at all, was it? But... Why would he be worried about me in the first place? Back at Sky-Tall Tower, it was the same way... He rescued me and took an attack from Veran instead of taking the chance I gave him to escape without her even knowing he was there, even though I TOLD him I wasn't worth it... Why...? ...Maybe it's just part of what makes someone a hero... They even care about someone like me, someone who doesn't deserve the least bit of compassion or sympathy...'_

"(Green) Quit being creepy, Vaati. It's kinda hard to be intimidating when you're at least a good inch or two shorter than me, you know."

Vaati flushes slightly, looking angry.

"(Vaati) I am NOT short!"

"(Green) Short or no, you're still shorter than me. *matter of fact*"

The purple-skinned youth backs down, letting Green win this one.

_'I hate to admit it, but he's right... I** am **shorter than him.'_

"(Green) Anyway, it's around lunch time now. Do you want to head back to the cottage to eat, or are you going to stay out here a bit longer?"

Vaati's stomach growls at the mention of "lunch time."

"(Vaati) ..."

Green laughs.

"(Green) I'll take that as a yes. Race you! No magic or flying allowed!"

Vaati smirks.

"(Vaati) You're on."

* * *

**A/N:** And it's shorter than usual, too... I was low on ideas and wanted to finally get this out to all you readers so you don't give up on me... I really, really need inspiration right now, so any and all suggestions you may have are welcome! Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, or if it's anonymous, just review! Pleeeeaaaase? *puppy dog eyes*


	26. Chapter 25: Red Eyed Magic

**A/N: **I'm sorry I took so long! I'm so, so sorry! x.x; Ummm, anyway, Summer vacation is here, so I might be able to get chapters out more quickly, if I don't get writer's block or get all lazy again... -.-; Umm, anyway, enjoy! And read the author's note at the bottom, PLEASE!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs.

Many Thanks To: **SoulDea**, **i-wish-a7x**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he's half-dragon, with a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has his cool shadow/darkness skills. Also has the Dark Mirror Shield and that dagger of his. And bombs!

* * *

**(Note: I have a poll up on my profile... Please take a look at it and vote after you read this chapter!)**

Chapter 25: Red-Eyed Magic

**~Lake Hylia- Mystery Island Lagoon~**

The little red kitten stirs with a quiet meow, looking around dazedly as she wakes up from her nap in the shallows. Nearby, Ruto is arguing with the monster calling himself "Blue," having come back up from underwater while he stays near the surface because the odd monster and self-proclaimed "Link" and Four Sword hero (Ruto doesn't really believe him yet) didn't want to leave the kitten unguarded for too long.

"(Ruto) Just because I'm a girl, zora, that doesn't mean I'm weak, you stupid _boy__!_"

_"(Blue) Who're you calling stupid, you stupid **girl!****?**"_

They've been going at it for at least half an hour at this point, showing no signs of stopping any time soon.

* * *

**~Zora's Domain- Guest Cottage~**

Green, Vio, Shadow, and Vaati are having lunch. Considering this group, it's only expected that chaos is bound to unfold...

"(Shadow) Say that again, you Goddess-forsaken purple midget! I dare you!"

"(Vaati) Hihihi, gladly! You're a coward who's scared of his own powers and you won't even admit it!"

"(Shadow) I am NOT scared!"

Vaati rolls his eyes dramatically.

"(Vaati) Whatever you say, Hero's Shadow~..."

"(Shadow) QUIT CALLING ME THAT!"

Vio sighs, turning to Green.

"(Vio) Mind passing the bread?"

"(Green) Sure, here you go."

After a few minutes, the severely ticked-off Shadow stands up, pushing his seat back with a loud clatter.

"(Shadow) That's it. Outside, **now**. I'll show you that I'm not afraid, and pound some sense into you while I'm at it, you cocky little brat!"

"(Vaati) Hihihi! This should be quite interesting~... Try not to lose _too_ badly, hmm?"

"(Green) Should we stop them?"

Vio shakes his head.

"(Vio) Do you honestly think we could stop them in the first place?"

Green shrugs.

"(Green) Good point."

"(Vio) Let's just focus on making sure they don't kill each other, at least that's feasible."

* * *

**~A Few Minutes Later~**

The four boys leave Zora's Domain and head to a nearby section of Hyrule Field where they won't cause anyone trouble, Vaati taunting Shadow all the while. Vio sighs, shaking his head. He's hanging back along with Green, staying out of the two red-eyed boys' way.

"(Vio) This is bound to be insane..."

"(Green) Hey, at least they can't go _too_ far, right? I mean, all of us are still pretty banged up."

Vio sighs again.

"(Vio) You don't know Shadow as well as I do. -.-; "

Green has a far-away expression on his face for a moment.

"(Green) Yeah..."

_'And Vaati... He took all that damage from Veran, but still kept going... Vio's right, this is probably going to be nuts. But, when I think about it, I don't know all that much about Vaati OR Shadow...'_

Meanwhile, Vaati and Shadow are facing each other with a few feet worth of distance between them.

"(Vaati) Hihihi~... Let's get started, shall we?"

"(Shadow) By Farore, _shut UP_ already! That stupid laugh of yours is really irritating and your voice is just as annoying! I'm gonna wipe that stupid smirk clean off your face, Wind Brat!"

"(Vaati) I'd love to see you try."

Shadow grits his teeth angrily.

_'He really, REALLY ticks me off! But... I can't fight magic with my sword, not in the condition I'm in. Heck, fighting magic without magic of your own is a total pain in the first place. I said I wouldn't use it, but...'_

Oddly enough, it's words Vaati said to the purple-haired boy earlier, back in the cavern at Death Mountain, that come to mind as Shadow hesitantly considers accessing his powers.

_"Magic is a mysterious thing. Everyone has the potential to wield it, though some are of course stronger than others, and yet so few manage it because they cannot see their true selves, cannot find their element where it sleeps within them. Can you guess which element you are aligned most closely to, "Hero's Shadow?" I have no doubt that you already know, actually. But what you need to consider is this: is any element truly 'good' or 'evil'? Or is it simply a matter of how it is used?"_

Something about the way Shadow's holding himself changes slightly, a subtle hint of confidence adding itself to his demeanor.

_'A matter of how it's used, huh? This brat may be irritating as all heck, but when it comes down to it, he's doing his best to help us. He's trying to get me mad so I'll use my powers, though I'd bet 100 Rupees he's enjoying being a jerk to me anyway.'_

He closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

* * *

**~...~**

Pitch black darkness surrounds him as he opens his flame-red eyes. A soft, half-heard melody whispers through the still air, barely audible.

"(Shadow) I think I get it now. This darkness is me, and I can't change that. But that doesn't mean I have to be evil... I'm sorry. I was trying to push you away, push _myself_ away. I was scared. But I'm not afraid anymore, or at least I'm ready to deal with my fear. Will you let me give this another try?"

A flicker of silver streaks through the air as a beautiful full moon appears, Shadow's surroundings changing from inky black darkness to the starry night sky. The lullaby is clearer now, the same tune he heard when the Triforce of Courage accepted him. He laughs.

"(Shadow) I'll take that as a yes."

**

* * *

**

**~...~**

The gray-clad boy opens his eyes and smirks, a look Green and Vio know all too well.

"(Vio) Uh oh. That look _always_ means trouble."

Green nods slowly with a gulp.

"(Green) Uh, maybe we should back away some more."

"(Vio) I'm considering it."

"(Shadow) This is going to be FUN."

A small smile flits across Vaati's face, but he quickly hides it.

_'Looks like he's figured it out.'_

Shadow melts into the ground with a smirk, privately relishing the feeling of using his abilities after so long for a moment. Coming up behind Vaati using the youth's own shadow, he silently attempts to grab the purple-skinned Sorcerer. Vaati doesn't so much as twitch.

"(Vaati) Hihihi~... Did you really think it would be that easy?"

Shadow promptly gets knocked a couple feet away by a wind blast. He gets up, the grin on his face a bit wider.

"(Shadow) Nah, just warming up. I wouldn't wanna get rusty, after all."

"(Vaati) So you're going to use me for practice, hmm? Then I believe I'll just have to return the favor. Time to show you just why I am the Sorcerer of Winds! Hihihihihi!"

Vaati's ever-present personal breeze gains strength, transforming into a decent gale as he focuses. This is a surprisingly intimidating side effect of his power, as it shows just how much control the purple-skinned youth has. Though his clothes and hair whip around wildly in the wind along with the long tail of his cap, Vaati's hat remains firm on his head and he is completely calm. Shadow smirks, his own hat as usual defying gravity as he reclines in mid-air with a creepy giggle, back in one of his favorite poses after over a year.

"(Shadow) Ready yet, Wind Brat? You wouldn't want to _bore_ me, now would you?"

"(Vaati) I wouldn't dream of it, Hero's Shadow."

The little duel is over a few minutes later, the surroundings a bit worse for wear, but otherwise undamaged. Vio is relieved that they didn't kill each other, while Green is just glad it's over. Shadow grins.

"(Shadow) Hate to admit it, but you're _good_, even if you are a brat."

"(Vaati) I'll take that as a compliment. You're not too bad yourself."

Deciding to make some mischief, Shadow uses some tendrils of shadow to tug on Vaati's cap a bit, pulling it down over his eyes. Vaati scowls, straightening it with a huff.

"(Vaati) Do that again and I'll turn you into a lawn ornament."

Shadow is confused.

"(Shadow) You'll what?"

An Octorok is sneaking up on the purple-haired boy from the side. Seeing it, Vaati smirks evilly.

"(Vaati) Hihihi... Let me demonstrate."

He gestures toward the Octorok, who's getting ready to spit a stone at Shadow. The red-eyed boy hastily blocks it with his shield.

"(Shadow) Where'd that stupid rock-spitter come from?"

"(Vaati) Does it matter? Anyway, _this_ is what will happen to you if you mess with my cap ever again."

He points at the poor unsuspecting Octorok with a flourish, casting his signature spell with ease.

"(Vaati) To Stone With You!"

A flash of light shoots from Vaati's hands to the Octorok, turning it into a statue in a single instant. Shadow stares at it for a moment, then takes a step away from Vaati with a gulp.

"(Shadow) G-got it. No messing with the hat."

Back in the "peanut gallery," Vio looks impressed and interested in Vaati's technique, while Green looks just as scared as Shadow.

"(Vio) I wonder how he does that. It must be quite useful."

"(Green) You're crazy, Vio... -.-; "

The four boys head back to Zora's Domain, Vaati releasing the Octorok from its petrified state before he leaves.

_'Hihihi... I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. He makes a good sparring partner, and he may be able to help me teach the others some magic. They'll be helpless against Veran without it, after all... Not that I did any better, but I wasn't even trying to put up a fight. Strong as I may be, I can't win against her alone. I'm lucky if I currently remember even half of my abilities in the first place, and she's completely insane. Trying to take on that vengeful hag alone is suicide.'_

"(Shadow) Come _on_, Wind Brat! We're gonna leave you behind if you stand there much longer!"

"(Vaati) I'm not a brat, I'm a Sorcerer, Hero's Shadow."

"(Shadow) Well, if you stop calling me Hero's Shadow, I'll stop calling you Wind Brat!"

Vaati thinks about it.

"(Vaati) ...Fine, Shadow. I'm not that little, so being called a brat is awkward."

Shadow's eyes widen in surprise.

"(Shadow) Then how old are you? "

"(Vaati) Hihihi... Don't let my height fool you, I'm about twelve years old by Hylian standards." (**A/N:**To me, Minish age slower than Hylians and Vaati was around ten years old in Hylian terms during Minish Cap.)

Shadow bursts out laughing.

"(Shadow) You're only TWELVE? Oh, that's rich!"

"(Vaati) ..."

_'Is it really that strange?'_

"(Vio) Shadow, come on!"

"(Green) You too, Vaati!"

"(both) Coming!"

The red-eyed pair hurry after their companions, now understanding each other a bit better than before.

* * *

**A/N:** Lol, Shadow and Vaati now respect each other a bit. I'm debating on having Vio show Vaati that letter/diary entry, but I can't decide. That's where you readers come in. Do me a big favor and tell me what you think, please? Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not anymore, just _please_ review! I even allow anonymous reviews, too! Pleeeeaaaase? *puppy dog eyes*


	27. Chapter 26: The General of Darkness

**A/N:** Sorry I took so long to get this up, but I was short on ideas for a while... ^.^; Most of this chapter was written today, in fact. My writer's block is horrible sometimes. Also, I have a request for you readers. I know it's kinda spamming to be advertising for another fic, but we haven't gotten ANY reviews except ones we posted ourselves so far... Please check out the fic "Four Swords: Legend of the Sealed Mages" by FiveLinksJourney. It's a collab between **i-wish-799** and I. Anyway... Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **SoulDea**, **i-wish-799**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has his epic shadow abilities... Also has the Dark Mirror Shield and a dagger. And bombs!

* * *

Chapter 26: The General of Darkness

A week and a half passes in relative peace as Green, Vio, Shadow and Vaati rest and recover from their injuries in the safe haven of Zora's Domain. While there has still been no word of the missing Princess Ruto, there also haven't been any more sightings of the mysterious monster haunting Lake Hylia's waters either. This long stretch of peace has Vaati tense and worried about what Veran could be plotting, while Vio, the "smart one" of the Links, is a bit wary, knowing that it can't possibly last. Meanwhile, Shadow seems bored, while Green, as always, is a bit impatient to get going. Shadow teases him daily about this, saying that he's scared Ruto will show up. Green of course denies it.

Meanwhile, at Lake Hylia, Ruto's sprained ankle has finally healed enough for her to manage the strong water currents surrounding the island and she's currently preparing to leave. She's also getting along a _teeny_ bit better with Blue. Having promised him to take the kitten he calls Red with her, she heads down to the lagoon to say farewell.

"(Ruto) Hey! Monster boy! Rise and shine, zora!"

Bubbles race up to the water's surface as Blue comes up into the shallows.

_"(Blue) What do you want, tomboy Princess?"_

"(Ruto) I just came to pick up the kitten and to tell you I'm leaving, zora. And how do you do that, anyway? You're so big, but you're in shallow water right now, zora."

_"(Blue) How should I know? I'm no smartypants bookworm like Vio. All I know is that if I come out of the water, I can't breathe!"_

"(Ruto) Hey, no need to snap at me this early in the morning, zora. Who's Vio?"

_"(Blue) He's another "Link," like Red, Green and me. He wears purple clothes and he's always carrying some book around with him."_

Ruto tilts her head to one side, thinking.

"(Ruto) So then there are four of you, zora? How strange! It must be confusing, to have four where there used to be one, zora."

The water ripples in an odd way and Ruto guesses that Blue is shrugging.

_"(Blue) Not really. Anyway, there are five of us if you count that weirdo Shadow Link. Dunno what Vio sees in that guy, even if he **was** right about him not being evil."_

Blue says these words with great distaste, hating to admit that Vio was right about something, as always.

"(Ruto) I'm not following you. You're making even less sense than usual, zora. Mind explaining?"

_"(Blue) Yes, I **do** mind. Anyway, didn't you say you were **leaving? ***pointedly*"_

Ruto sweat drops. The strange "monster boy" obviously isn't going to tell her anything else concerning this "Shadow Link" character.

"(Ruto) Yes I did, zora. Where's the kitten, then?"

_"(Blue) Over there, by that bush."_

She thanks him, picking up said kitten and turning back to face the water. She takes a deep breath, doing her best to be polite and properly "princess-y". Since this kind of thing makes her gag even in a normal situation, it's even more of a challenge when speaking to Blue, who she tends to argue with a lot.

"(Ruto) Look, uh... Annoying as you are, it doesn't feel right to just leave you like this, zora. I-"

_"(Blue) Get to the point. You're terrible at acting like a princess."_

She sticks her tongue out at him.

"(Ruto) And _you're_ terrible at acting like a decent hero, zora. Anyway, as I was _saying_, I promise on my honor as both a Princess and a warrior to get word to the other "Links" about your condition, or at least to the Princess Zelda of Hyrule, zora."

_"(Blue) Hmph. What makes you think I need your help? I can manage just fine on my own!"_

"(Ruto) Sheesh, you're way too stubborn, zora. Is it really that hard to just say "thank you?""

_"(Blue) ..."_

About a minute passes in silence, then Ruto sighs impatiently and turns away from the water.

"(Ruto) You're so rude, zora. It's a wonder I'm even helping you."

_"(Blue) I didn't ask you to help me in the first place! Girls are so STUPID, always having to stick their noses into everything... *grumble*"_

"(Ruto) Well, see you later, zora."

She makes to leave the lagoon, but stops short when a bolt of crackling black energy strikes the ground right in front of her, creating a small crater.

"(Ruto) Ack!"

_"(Blue) What the?"_

A series of loud, clanging footsteps are heard, accompanied by the shifting and clinking of metal as a menacing figure makes his way through the bushes. He towers over Ruto by at least two feet, clad in golden armor and holding an immense ball and chain in his hands with ease.

"(man) Hmph, I missed. Let me remedy that."

"(Ruto) Wh-who the hell do you think you are, zora? Get away from me!"

Ruto bravely brandishes her spear at the man, standing protectively in front of the lagoon where Blue is and the red-furred kitten, who is currently hiding in her rucksack. The man laughs, leering at the Zora girl with a malicious fanged grin.

"(man) Hahaha! Bravery will get you nowhere, little girl. I am Onox, the mighty General of Darkness! Hand over the cursed Hero and I just might spare your life."

"(Ruto) What? I don't know what you're talking about, zora. All I know is that you just attacked me! Don't you know who I am? *using her Princess Voice*"

_'How does he know?'_, she and Blue think simultaneously, neither one having any intention of backing down.

"(Onox) No, and I honestly don't care. It matters not who you are, only that you are in my way. I know the one I seek is here. Surrender or die!"

He swings his ball and chain, narrowly missing Ruto and knocking her off her feet. She falls with a yelp, her rucksack flying off her shoulder and spilling open on the ground between Ruto and the menacing General. The water thrashes wildly behind Ruto as Blue spots something on the man's armor.

_"(Blue) Why you! That symbol on your chest, it's the same as the one on that witch's shoulder guards! You're with her, aren't you!"_

Strangely enough, Onox hears him.

"(Onox) Hmm? Oh, what luck! Both of my targets are in one place, it seems."

Ruto gets up, determined not to be caught off guard this time. The kitten, somehow aware of the danger, scoots out of the rucksack and takes cover in the shallows, instinctively relying on Blue for protection.

"(Ruto) If you want them, you'll have to get through me first, zora!"

_"(Blue) Stay away from Red or I'll rip you to pieces!"_

"(Ruto) Blue, don't! You can't breathe above water!"

_"(Blue) Ill be fine, I can hold my breath for a bit. Whooping this guy good is way more important right now, and by the Goddesses I'm going to give it to him!"_

Small waves race across the surface of the lagoon as Blue shows himself for the first time, very much POed. He's a giant stingray of some kind, pure white in color with tattoo-like dark blue markings swirling all over his pale skin as he rears up out of the water. A large, smooth crystalline growth covers his stomach like a shell, noticeably out of place in regards to the rest of his appearance. Letting out a loud roar, Blue crashes back down with a huge splash, a lethal-looking stinger streaking forward to strike Onox. The General steps back with a cruel chuckle, the attack narrowly missing him.

"(Onox) Hahaha, you're both quite feisty! How amusing. However, you have no chance of winning against me. Play time's over, brats!"

"(Ruto) For _you_, maybe! Take this, zora!"

She rushes at Onox, undaunted even in the face of his immense size and strength, and unleashes a quick barrage of stabs and parries as he blocks and counters her assault with the chain of his weapon. Blue tries to use the man's distraction to attack again, but is easily blocked time and again even while Onox holds Ruto at bay, much to both children's frustration.

"(Onox) Grrr... I've had more than enough of this foolish resistance! I will not be defeated by the likes of you!"

He swings his ball and chain at Ruto, breaking her spear as she raises it to defend herself and knocking the Zora girl to the ground. She struggles to remain conscious, but knows she can't hold on for more than a few minutes at most.

"(Ruto) Unngh..."

"(Onox) Hmph. You should be grateful I didn't fight seriously from the start, little girl. If I had, you would be dead. Now, as for my task..."

He walks towards the water, heading straight for the kitten.

_"(Blue) I **SAID** stay away from Red, you monster!"_

Blue rears up out of the lagoon and shoots an intense stream of water at Onox, following up with an ice ball. The General simply spins his ball and chain to deflect the attacks as if they're nothing, then launches the business end of his weapon, a cruel spiked ball, straight into the stingray's sensitive stomach. The crystalline growth covering Blue's stomach cracks a little from the impact as Blue slumps back into the water, knocked out by the force of Onox's brutal strike.

_"(Blue) Nngh!"_

_'Run... Red... Hu...rry...'_

"(kitten) Hissss!"

The kitten, proving its identity beyond a doubt as Red with its current behavior, darts between Onox and the fallen "monster boy" and plants itself firmly between them in a protective stance, its fur sticking up in anger and agitation as it glares up at the General of Darkness from the ground. Small embers swirl into life around the kitten's split tail, growing to wreathe its small body in an aura of flames as it launches itself at Onox.

"(Onox) Hmph. Is that all you've got? Pathetic."

Onox grabs the kitten by the scruff of its neck, handling it somewhat roughly. His thick metal armor protecting him from the flames, the evil man is completely unaffected by Red's struggles as the kitten desperately tries to break free. Ruto watches helplessly as Onox shoots a beam of black energy at the unconscious Blue, who lets out a pained sound somewhere metween a roar and a scream, then walks away triumphantly with Red dangling helplessly from one gloved hand.

_'I... I have to get back home and get word to Link... I have to... Unnnh...'_

Even as she thinks this, Ruto's eyes slip closed and her consciousness fades to black...

* * *

**A/N:** Woot, dramatic cliffy. Next, Green & Co. finally head to Lake Hylia to investigate, but of course they're already too late. After all, as they said, it's never easy unless they're going the wrong way. And if everyone got together too quickly, this story would be over way too soon, wouldn't it? For those LoZ fans who don't know the Oracle of Seasons/Ages series, Veran is the antagonist of Ages while Onox is the antagonist of Seasons. As Blue guessed, they're working together in this fic. Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just _please_ review! I even allow anonymous reviews, too! Pleeeeaaaase? *puppy dog eyes*


	28. Chapter 27: Splitting Up

**A/N:** It's taken so long, and this is pathetically short. I'm so sorry... T.T I'm thinking of switching the writing style to something more normal... Maybe if I ask someone to collab this with me, they can keep me motivated? I haven't been able to focus on this fic well lately. T.T Thanks to the anonymous reviewer who recently yelled at me to post something... I figured this is better than nothing, right? Please don't kill me... I really need help with this fic.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: **SoulDea**, **i-wish-799**, and **LittlePidgey**~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!

* * *

Chapter 27: Splitting up

**~Ruto and Rutela's house~**

It is now early afternoon and Green, Vio, Shadow and an uncharacteristically quiet Vaati have come to bid farewell to Princess Rutela before they head out to investigate Lake Hylia.

"(Green) Rutela, thank you very much for offering us your hospitality. We'll be sure to... *gulp* f-find your sister, Ruto, so don't worry."

"(Vio) Would you mind telling us where she was headed?"

The younger Zora Princess sighs quietly, looking down at the floor.

"(Rutela) I promised her not to let anyone here in Zora's Domain know where Ruto went, but I doubt she'll mind me telling you. Ruto was planning on swimming out to the island that suddenly appeared in the center of Lake Hylia a few months ago, zora, the one that is always shrouded in a thick fog. I'll lend you one of our rowboats, we keep several on hand for visitors who cannot swim as well as us."

The three "Links" nod, while Vaati doesn't seem to be paying much attention.

"(Green) Thanks, Rutela. We'll check there first."

They begin to walk out of the cottage.

"(Rutela) Wait, zora!"

"(Shadow) What now?"

"(Rutela) There have been sightings of a monster swimming in the waters of Lake Hylia as of late. That is why Ruto went there to investigate. Please be careful, all of you. Try not to be idiots, alright, zora?"

Green laughs while Shadow just sweat drops.

"(Shadow) Princess or not, your definition of "idiot" is just plain odd... ^.^; "

"(Green) Don't worry, we'll be careful. See you soon!"

* * *

**~Lake Hylia- Island~**

"(Shadow) *stretches* Man, those currents were nasty! It's a good thing there were enough of us rowing to fight through it..."

He shoots a glance at Vaati as he says this. Said purple-skinned youth's face is tinged a sickly gray-green as he bends over double, retching into the surf.

"(Vaati) Well, _excuse me_... for being... seasick..."

_'This is pathetic... Being in the center of a tornado doesn't bother me at all, but a little trip through rough waters has me puking... Ugh, I hate boats.'_

"(Green) Are you going to be alright, Vaati?"

"(Vaati) ...Y-yeah... Just... need a minute... Go on... ahead... without me..."

"(Green) Are you sure?"

Vaati nods shakily.

"(Vio) Let's get moving, Green."

Shadow stretches, looking bored.

"(Shadow) Hope we finally get to see some real action soon. Catch ya later, midget Sorcerer."

"(Vaati) ...Jerk..."

The three "Links" head off to investigate the island, leaving Vaati behind for the moment.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh so very sorry... T.T ... Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just _please_ review! I even allow anonymous reviews, too! Pleeeeaaaase? *puppy dog eyes*


	29. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Good News!

**NOTICE:** Guess what? I'm not dead! And I'm re-writing this story... As apology for taking so long, I'll treat ya'll with little sneak peek teaser of the almost-finished rewritten prologue... Oh, and disclaimer anyway: still don't own LoZ... I mean, sheesh, this website is for fanfiction in the first place, of course I don't own LoZ!

* * *

_Courage shall split between the descendants of the Forger. Seek the Blade which is Four and its Shadow when the Ages fall into chaos and Darkness clouds the skies. Faces of old, both Good and Evil, shall appear throughout the land, brought forth by the shifting flow of Time..._

"He would surely be quite angry with me if I let you fade away, Shadow Link..."

"Excuse me... Could I speak with you in private for a moment, Your Highness?"

"It is said the Four Sword shall keep its wielders together... I am sure the same must be true for its shadow."

The glimmering pinpricks that are all that's left of the shadow of the heroes whirl in silent, ever-changing patterns within their glass sanctuary, offering no answers.

"Shadow Link is as much of a hero to me as you four, even if he was a bit… uncouth at first."

"Has something stirred you from your sleep?"

_'I wish I could have had more time to look for a way to bring you back, but… time's up.'_

"I have such a horrible feeling about all of this."

"I promise you, you _will_ walk in the land of light once again…"


	30. IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ!

**This will be the last update to the original Shadowed Truth... The remake is up and running (I'd really like some reviews) and already has more than five chapters, so please go and take a look! I'm fairly sure you won't be dissapointed...**


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